Taliban
attacks Kabul's presidential palace, CIA, ISAF HQ, Ministry of
Defense
Taliban
has launched an attack in central Kabul, targeting the presidential
palace, the CIA and ISAF headquarters, the Ministry of Defense, as
well as an international hotel. All the assailants have been killed
in the 90-minute showdown
RT,
25
June, 2013
Local
journalist Courtney Body told RT the attack started with a blast and
heavy gunfire targeting the palace gate.
“What
I saw from the outside of that gate is more of a blast wall around
the green zone area, as there were giant holes in the concrete walls
and the entire gate was destroyed. Apparently, one vehicle was able
to get inside and one vehicle was stopped at the gate, and that’s
when the attack began,” Body said.
Some
20 journalists, who were waiting at the palace entrance for a presser
by President Karzai, were forced to run for cover as they heard the
automatic rifle gunfire, and smoke from an explosion blanketed the
area.
The
palace guards, as well as guards from the adjacent CIA compound,
reportedly fired back immediately after the attack on the west gate.
All
the attackers were killed in the 90-minute firefight, according to
Kabul Police Chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi. One was killed when he
detonated a bomb on his body, and three or four were killed by
security forces, he added.
Three
security guards were reportedly killed and one more was wounded.
Afghan
security force keep watch near the entrance gate of the Presidential
palace in Kabul on June 25, 2013. (AFP Photo)
The
police chief has also indicated that the damage could have been much
worse, as there were schools and offices just outside the gate.
The
insurgents were wearing military-style uniform and used fake
documents to make their way through the checkpoints in SUVs, but one
of the cars was stopped.
Reports
indicated that Karzai was in the compound at the time, but a palace
official said he was safe.
The
Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that eight
suicide bombers were able to reach the most secure area of Kabul.
“The
brave mujahideen, with special tactics and help from inside, were
able to reach their target with their weapons and cars,” Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an email statement quoted by AP.
He
said the insurgents carrying hand grenades, a machinegun and
rocket-propelled grenades were targeting the presidential palace, the
Ministry of Defense, as well as the Ariana Hotel, which is known to
house a CIA station.
The
area of the city where the attack took place is the site of several
important organizations, including the United Nations Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan, as well as the headquarters for the CIA and
the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
The
American Embassy in Kabul was reportedly placed on lockdown, with
ISAF confirming a lockdown over its Twitter feed; other facilities in
the area are said to be under lockdown as well.
The
CIA building in central Kabul was reported to be on fire shortly
after the attack, according to 1TV News, a local news broadcaster.
Afghan
security forces stand guard as smoke rises from the entrance gate of
the Presidential palace in Kabul on June 25, 2013. (AFP Photo)
Ambassador
James Dobbins, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was
currently in Kabul after returning from Doha over the weekend. The
Afghan talks in Qatar have become stalled since Taliban opened an
embassy-like compound, declaring it the 'Political Office of the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.'
Taliban
officials stated that the newly opened office in Qatar was a response
to calls by opponents for the launch of a political process to reach
some measure of peace, and end three decades of fighting in
Afghanistan.
Steve
Zunes, a professor of international studies at the University of San
Francisco, pointed out to RT, that the Afghan army would never
succeed unless the Afghan people support the country's leadership in
the first place.
“Even
if they are very well trained, even if they have the very best
equipment, the strength of the Afghan government <…> doesn’t
have credibility with the Afghan people. While the Afghans don’t
subscribe to the Taliban’s ideology, they are very frustrated with
corruption, inaptitude, and arbitrariness of the Afghan government,
including the ongoing repression. They’re resentful of the foreign
presence to prop up this government. And it’s this kind of
environment that leads to the rise of extremists. So it’s not a
security question.”
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