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| Afghanistan |
| 10 Killed in Taliban Siege on Afghan Court Complex |
| 2015-04-10 |
| [AnNahar] At least 10 people died Thursday when Taliban murderous Moslems wearing military uniforms mounted a six-hour gun and grenade siege on a court complex in northern Afghanistan, an assault highlighting the country's fragile security situation. The attack in the usually tranquil city of Mazar-e-Sharif occurred just before the start of the Taliban's traditional spring offensive, set to be the first fighting season when Afghan cops battle murderous Moslems without full NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... support. Explosions rang out as assailants wearing boom jackets lobbed grenades and exchanged gunfire with Afghan cops, setting ablaze one of the buildings in the compound, according to an AFP news hound at the scene. Dozens of people were left maimed, with reports of blood shortages in hospitals emerging and urgent appeals for donors circulating on social media. "Around noon four assailants dressed in military uniforms breached the main gate of the Appeals Court in Mazar-e-Sharif and started firing gunshots and throwing hand grenades inside the complex," said Abdul Raziq Qaderi, the acting provincial police chief of Balkh province. "Five security personnel and five non-combatants were killed and 66 others were maimed," he added. Noor Mohammad Faiz, a senior doctor at the local public hospital, confirmed the toll, adding that some of the maimed were at death's door. "Police, prosecutors, court staff, women and kiddies are among those maimed," Faiz told AFP. The murderous Moslems were holed up inside the complex for six hours, surrounded by a large number of Afghan cops before they were taken down. The Taliban grabbed credit for the attack, which underscores Afghanistan's precarious security situation as U.S.-led foreign troops pull back from the frontlines after a 13-year war against the Taliban. "Our mujahideen have carried out a martyrdom attack... in Mazar-e-Sharif city," Taliban front man Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP by telephone. Militant attacks are relatively rare in Mazar-e-Sharif, a city well-known as a melting pot of diverse cultures and religious influences where liberal attitudes coexist with conservative traditions. Thursday's attack comes a day after an American soldier was killed by an Afghan counterpart in eastern Afghanistan, the first insider attack since Washington announced a delay in troop withdrawals from the country. NATO's combat mission formally ended in December but a small follow-up foreign force has stayed on to train and support the local security forces. President Barack Obama ...I am not a dictator! last month reversed plans to shrink the U.S. force in Afghanistan this year by nearly half, an overture to the country's new reform-minded leader, President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. Hosting Ghani at the White House for their first presidential head-to-head, Obama agreed to keep the current level of 9,800 U.S. troops until the end of 2015. |
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