Afghanistan: Taliban Fighters Target Karzai's Presidential Palace

ty for the update acp

Taliban Militants Attack Afghan Capital; 5 Killed - Los Angeles Times. Taliban militants struck in the heart of the Afghan capital today, launching suicide attacks on key government targets in a clear sign the insurgents plan to escalate their fight as the U.S. and its allies ramp up a campaign to end the war. At least five people, including a child, were killed and nearly 40 wounded, officials said. The Defense Ministry said seven attackers also had been killed. After a series of blasts and more than three hours of subsequent gunfights outside several ministries and inside a shopping mall, President Hamid Karzai said security had been restored to the capital, though search operations continued amid reports that more attackers were hiding in the city. It was the biggest assault on the capital since Oct. 28 when gunmen with automatic weapons and suicide vests stormed a guest house used by U.N. staff, killing at least 11 people including three U.N. staff. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that 20 armed militants, including some with suicide vests, had entered Kabul to target the presidential palace and other government buildings in the center of the capital.

Kabul Rocked by Explosions - Yaroslav Trofimov and Alan Cullison, Wall Street Journal. The Taliban launched a coordinated attack on the Afghan capital Monday, setting off bombs, taking over buildings, and disrupting the swearing-in of new Afghan cabinet ministers. Gunbattles, punctuated by blasts of bombs and rockets, raged in central Kabul for more than three hours, and smoke billowed from several buildings. The attacks, claimed by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid and believed to be carried out by members of a militant network led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, were among the most serious to strike Kabul in recent years. There was no immediate word on the extent of casualties. The first blast, believed to be a suicide bombing, rocked Kabul in the vicinity of the presidential palace just minutes before the new ministers, approved by parliament earlier this month, were due to be sworn in. It was followed by several smaller explosions, including a rocket that hit near the luxury Serena hotel, favored by Westerners. Militants then took over the Ferushgah shopping center near the hotel and the finance ministry, setting it ablaze and exchanging volleys of gunfire and rocket propelled grenades with security personnel on Serena's roof. At least one member of the security forces, wounded in the hotel and bleeding, was brought to receive medical care in the basement, where Serena's guests had taken shelter.

Militants Launch Bold Attack in Central Kabul - Dexter Filkens and Alissa J. Rubin, New York Times. Days before a major international conference on Afghanistan, militants launched audacious and coordinated attacks in central Kabul early on Monday, with explosions and gunfire echoing across the city. The Taliban said its fighters carried out the assault. Five people were killed and 38 wounded in the attacks, said Dr. Farid Raaid, a spokesman for the Health Ministry. Earlier, the Taliban claimed to have killed 40 people. Hours after the attacks began, President Hamid Karzai said the situation was under control, accusing “the enemies of Afghanistan” of “trying to spread fear among Kabul citizens.” Police and paramilitary officers at the scene said the onslaught began with an initial suicide bombing in the downtown area near the Justice Ministry, the Central Bank, the presidential palace and the Serena Hotel favored by Westerners. Hotel residents took cover in a basement as the fighting swirled above them, according to a BBC reporter at the hotel. Militants have become increasingly bold in penetrating the capital as their campaign broadens in many parts of Afghanistan, prompting President Obama to promise 30,000 additional American troops to reinforce the international coalition.