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Wrong Door, Fatal Mistake
The Taliban assailants apparently thought they were attacking an unprotected Christian-run day care center. But they mistakenly burst into the compound next door, where American government contractor Roots of Peace employees were heavily armed and ready, according to accounts that the contractor and the Afghan police gave on Friday of a wild four-hour shootout here. Afghan officials said all five Taliban attackers were killed, including one who did away with himself. The corpse count also included two Afghan civilians, one of them a young girl. Two Roots of Peace guards were maimed. The shootout was the latest in a series of deadly attacks on foreign journalists, aid workers and visitors since January, in the midst of heavy security for the Afghan presidential election campaign.Friday's attack took place in Kabul's well-to-do Karte Seh area where many foreign aid groups have offices and homes. Afghanistan has more than 2,000 registered nongovernmental organizations, most with offices in the capital. Most live in unguarded or lightly guarded guesthouses or individual homes, but those with government contracts, like Roots of Peace, often employ guards. The residents in the group's house included the two Americans and an Australian, a Malaysian and a South African, who was the group's security adviser. The group runs agricultural and demining programs in Afghanistan, as well as in Israel, Croatia and Vietnam. Posted by: Pappy 2014-03-31 |
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