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Talibs launch barrage of rockets on Kabul
 The Taleban fired eight rockets into Kabul yesterday in an attack designed as a statement of intent before the Afghan elections on August 20. A spokesman for the group said the attack showed that the Government and its Western backers could not ensure security before the landmark vote. "We are in control," said Zabiullah Mujahed, warning of further attacks.
| He said from an encrypted phone while lounging poolside in a safe house in Peshawar ... |
| That would be the pretty white princess phone with the gold-toned detailing? |
Rockets were aimed at areas close to the international airport and a district that contains the American and British embassies. None did serious damage and the only casualties were a man and a child who suffered slight injury. Gunfire was also heard briefly after the rockets landed.
| So the Talibs' aim is as good as it ever has been. Gotta be Hekmatyar ... |
| The launcher in the picture holds nine. What happened to the last one? |
Police in the district of Deh Sabz, northeast of the city, reported the discovery of a ninth rocket and a crude water-drip timer device wired to a car battery for launching the munitions. "There's no indication that these rockets were targeting any particular site," the US Embassy said. One of the missiles exploded a few hundred metres from the Embassy.
Successful Taleban attacks on Kabul have been declining sharply since 2007. This year only one attack has succeeded, so far, in breaching the city defences: an assault by gunmen and suicide bombers that briefly took control of the Justice Ministry in February. Security around the city appears to have been improved by the influx of 4,000 new police and by improvements at the Interior Ministry.
Posted by: Steve White 2009-08-05 |
