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Taliban strikes in central Kabul
Source: Agencies |
September 14, 2011, Wednesday
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TALIBAN insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles at the United States Embassy, NATO headquarters and other buildings in the heart of Kabul yesterday while suicide bombers struck police buildings in attacks displaying the ability of militants to bring their fight to the doorsteps of Western power in Afghanistan.
The coordinated assaults - two days after the US marked the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks - carried an unsettling message to Western leaders and their Afghan allies about the resilience and reach of the Taliban network.
The attacks cast fresh doubts on the ability of Afghans to secure their own country as the US and other foreign troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014. The embassy and NATO both said no staff were wounded.
Afghan officials said at least one Afghan police officer, a civilian and two insurgents had been killed.
The Interior Ministry said a total of nine people were wounded around the capital. They include four hurt in at least two suicide bombings in the western part of the capital.
The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan nearly a decade after the US invasion that ousted the Taliban for harboring al-Qaida, which carried out the 9/11 plane hijackings.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the "enemies of Afghanistan" were trying to disrupt the handing over of security responsibility to the Afghan army and police.
Plumes of smoke rose from the area near the embassy, and US Army helicopters buzzed overhead.
Meanwhile, gunmen fired from a nine-story office building under construction at Abdul Haq square, about 275 meters from the embassy. Afghan officials said the attack began when about half a dozen insurgents took over the building and began firing toward the embassy and the adjacent NATO headquarters.
Kabul police said at least seven insurgents were involved in the attacks around the city. Four were involved in the attack from the building and three attempted to carry out suicide attacks.
All three suicide attackers were killed by police: one on the road leading from the capital to the airport, and two when they tried to attack Afghan police buildings in Kabul. One was shot by police; the bullets detonated his vest and injured two officers. The other one detonated his vest at a nearby building, wounding two civilians.
The coordinated assaults - two days after the US marked the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks - carried an unsettling message to Western leaders and their Afghan allies about the resilience and reach of the Taliban network.
The attacks cast fresh doubts on the ability of Afghans to secure their own country as the US and other foreign troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014. The embassy and NATO both said no staff were wounded.
Afghan officials said at least one Afghan police officer, a civilian and two insurgents had been killed.
The Interior Ministry said a total of nine people were wounded around the capital. They include four hurt in at least two suicide bombings in the western part of the capital.
The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan nearly a decade after the US invasion that ousted the Taliban for harboring al-Qaida, which carried out the 9/11 plane hijackings.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the "enemies of Afghanistan" were trying to disrupt the handing over of security responsibility to the Afghan army and police.
Plumes of smoke rose from the area near the embassy, and US Army helicopters buzzed overhead.
Meanwhile, gunmen fired from a nine-story office building under construction at Abdul Haq square, about 275 meters from the embassy. Afghan officials said the attack began when about half a dozen insurgents took over the building and began firing toward the embassy and the adjacent NATO headquarters.
Kabul police said at least seven insurgents were involved in the attacks around the city. Four were involved in the attack from the building and three attempted to carry out suicide attacks.
All three suicide attackers were killed by police: one on the road leading from the capital to the airport, and two when they tried to attack Afghan police buildings in Kabul. One was shot by police; the bullets detonated his vest and injured two officers. The other one detonated his vest at a nearby building, wounding two civilians.
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