Suicide bombers, gunmen attack central Kabul
KABUL: Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers attacked buildings across the heart of Kabul on Monday, triggering fierce gun battles with security forces and killing at least five people including a child.
Fires were blazing after two shopping centres, a cinema and the only five-star hotel in the Afghan capital were targeted by heavily-armed militants who set off a wave of explosions, witnesses and officials said.
Five people were killed and 38 wounded, the public health ministry said, in the most dramatic strike on Kabul since Taliban militants laid siege to government buildings in February 2009, killing at least 26 people. Chronology: Attacks in Kabul
Defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi said a child and security forces were among the dead, telling Afghan TV that “four terrorists” had also been killed, two who blew themselves up and two shot dead by security forces.
President Hamid Karzai said the situation was “under control” after hours of fighting in the highly fortified capital, which came as a number of new cabinet ministers were being sworn in as gunfire rattled outside the presidential palace.
“The enemies of the Afghan people conducted a series of attacks today, causing fear and terror among the population,” Karzai said in a statement. “The president condemns these terrorist attacks.”
The blitz of attacks began at the peak of morning rush hour, when suicide bombers stormed buildings around Pashtunistan Square, setting off explosions that sent clouds of black smoke into the sky and people fleeing in terror. Eyewitness accounts: Terror in Kabul
The Islamist Taliban militia, waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against the Western-backed Kabul government and foreign troops in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility.
“Twenty of our suicide bombers have entered the area and fighting is ongoing,” Zabihullah Mujahid, who called himself a Taliban spokesman, told AFP.
Mujahid said the presidential palace and ministries around Pashtunistan Square were the targets, but it appeared that government buildings had not been breached and civilian gathering places bore the brunt of the violence.
Smoke billowed from the Qari Sami shopping mall on the square, while a second shopping mall, the Gulbahar Centre, about one kilometre (half a mile) away was also ablaze.
“I saw four people wrapped up in patus (blankets) coming and the guard went forward and asked them ‘what are you doing’,” said local grocer Ismail, who was in his shop in one of the malls when militants stormed in.
“One of them opened his patu and showed the guard a suicide vest packed with explosives and said to him ‘get out of my way or you’ll die’.”
Parts of the Serena Hotel, Kabul’s only five-star hotel, were also on fire, while militants blockaded themselves inside the nearby Ariana Cinema and shot at security forces, who struggled to secure the building.
As the fighting raged, 14 ministers were in the presidential palace taking their oath of office from Karzai.
“The ceremony started at 10:00 am (O530 GMT) and it was ongoing when the attack was taking place,” said Karzai’s spokesman Waheed Omar.
The United States condemned the attacks as a “ruthless” act by the Taliban, whose rebellion to topple the government and oust foreign troops has been gaining strength since a US-led invasion in 2001 removed them from power.
Speaking in New Delhi, US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke warned: “We can expect this sort of thing on a regular basis.”
UN special representative Kai Eide also condemned the attacks, saying they showed “a staggering disregard for civilian lives.”
The attacks came a day after the government said Karzai was to announce a new plan aimed at forging peace with the Islamist Taliban, although the militants have repeatedly rebuffed any efforts at negotiation.
The last major attack on the capital was on December 15, when a suicide car bomber blew up his vehicle outside the homes of former senior government officials, killing eight people and wounding more than 40.
In February 2009 about 26 people were killed in coordinated attacks on government buildings.
The attack was the biggest in Kabul since gunmen stormed the justice ministry and other government buildings in February.
Insurgents have closed in on Kabul in the past two years, mounting bold attacks inside the city and making travel to the west, south and east of the Afghan capital dangerous for aid workers and government officials.
TIME LINE OF MAJOR ATTACKS IN KABUL SINCE 2008
Jan 14, 2008 - Several Taliban gunmen storm the luxury Serena hotel near the presidential palace in a commando-style attack, killing six people, including a Norwegian journalist. The Norwegian foreign minister, staying at the hotel, is unhurt.
April 27 - President Hamid Karzai survives an assassination attempt while attending a military parade close to his presidential palace. Three civilians are killed as Taliban fighters fire guns and rockets at the official celebrations.
July 7 - A suicide car bomb outside the Indian Embassy kills 58. Scores wounded in the biggest attack in the city since the war began in late 2001.
Oct 20 - Two Taliban gunmen kill a British aid worker as she walks to work, accusing her of spreading Christian propaganda.
Oct 25 - One British and one South African employee of the international courier company DHL, and an Afghan guard, are shot dead.
Oct 30 - Five people die after a suicide bomber blows himself up inside the Information Ministry, following a clash between insurgents and ministry guards. The Taliban says foreign advisers inside were the targets.
Nov 3 - Gunmen kidnap a French aid worker and shoot dead an Afghan driver who tries to stop the abduction.
Nov 27 - A suicide attack on a convoy of foreign forces near the U.S. embassy kills four civilians.
Nov 30 - A suicide car bomber kills three Afghan civilians outside the German embassy, near a key base of U.S. forces.
Feb 1, 2009 - A Taliban suicide car bomber hits a convoy of foreign troops on Kabul’s western edge, wounding two Afghan civilians and slightly injuring a French soldier.
Feb 11 - A number of Taliban fighters, including suicide bombers, storm two government buildings, including the Justice Ministry, across from the presidential palace. More than 20 people are killed and nearly 50 wounded.
Aug 15 - A Taliban suicide bomber kills seven and wounds 90 in an attack outside the headquarters for the NATO-led force, near the U.S. embassy and government buildings.
Aug 18 - A rocket strikes the presidential palace and a second hits the city’s police headquarters, two days before the presidential election. No one is hurt.
Aug 19 - Several Taliban gunmen, including a suicide bomber, storm a bank and clash with police just south of the presidential palace. The gunmen are killed.
Sept 8 - A Taliban suicide car bomber detonates his explosives at an entrance to a NATO military base inside Kabul’s only airport. Several Afghans die.
Sept 17 - Ten Afghan civilians and six Italian soldiers die in a massive suicide car bomb attack on a road between Kabul’s airport and the U.S. embassy.
Oct 8 - Seven Afghan civilians are killed and 45 wounded in a blast outside the Indian embassy.
Oct 28 - Five foreign U.N. staff are killed when militants attack an international guest house. A rocket aimed at the presidential palace hits the Serena hotel.
Nov 13 - A car bomb explodes near a NATO convoy outside a U.S. military base, injuring nine foreign soldiers, several civilian contractors and Afghan bystanders.
Dec 15 - A suicide car bomber blows up his vehicle outside a former vice president’s home in the main diplomatic neighbourhood, killing eight and wounding dozens.
Jan 18 - Attacks on multiple locations, including shopping malls and the central bank, kill at least four security forces and one civilian, and wound 38. Security officials say at least nine of the attackers are killed. AGENCIES
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