Explosion and gunfire reported near interior ministry in Kabul
[Khaama Press] A group of armed militants launched a coordinated attack on the compound of the Ministry of Interior in Kabul city at around noon time today.
The militants initially detonated explosives near the entrance gate of the ministry compound to allow the remaining insurgents to intrude inside the ministry.
The attack sparked heavy clashes that lasted for almost two hours before the assailants were shot dead by the security forces.
The Ministry of Interior spokesman Najib Danish said the attack was carried out by a group of at least ten insurgents and all of them have been killed during the clashes with the security forces.
The officials did not disclose further information regarding the casualties inflicted on the security forces and the civilians during the attack.
Danish had earlier said that one guard of the ministry was wounded in the first blast near the entrance gate.
However, another security source has said that the attack has left at least nine people dead or wounded.
No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility behind the attack so far.
But the Taliban group had earlier warned that they will carry out attacks on security institutions in the capital as part of their spring offensive.
Attackers used SUV and military uniforms to attack MoI compound in Kabul
[Khaama Press] The Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials are saying that the attackers used a SUV vehicle and had disguised themselves in military uniforms in a bid to carry out a deadly attack on the ministry compound.
MoI spokesman Najib Danish released the new information in the aftermath of the attack that left at least eight militants dead.
Danish further added that the findings of the ministry show that the militants had managed to get closer to the ministry compound by disguising themselves in military uniforms.
He said the militants were riding a SUV vehicle and one of them immediately detonated his explosives after reaching to the entrance gate of the ministry.
Danish also added that the Afghan forces managed to act quickly and eliminate the militants before they manage to storm the main compound of the ministry.
According to Danish, preliminary reports indicate that one policeman lost his life in the attack while five others were wounded.
In regards to the civilian casualties, Danish said they have not received any reports regarding the civilian death so far.
No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility behind the attack but the Taliban had earlier warned to attack the security institutions in the capital.
In Photos: Afghan forces suppress major attack on Interior Ministry compound
| Photos can be seen at the link. Faces are blurred, however, so those of you who’ve been there won’t be able to identify former acquaintances. |
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Interior (MoI), a group of at least ten militants launched a coordinated attack at around 12:10 pm local time today with an attempt to storm into the main compound of the ministry.
However, the ministry said the Afghan forces reacted on time and quickly to suppress the attack and managed to eliminate all the militants involved in they manage to enter the compound of the ministry.
The statement further added that the militants managed to reach to the entrance gate of the ministry compound by disguising themselves in military uniforms and using armored vehicles.
According to MoI, the Afghan forces seized various types of arms, suicide bombing vest, hand grenades, communication devices, and ammunition.
The ministry says at least eight policemen were wounded in the attack but the ministry spokesman Najib Danish had earlier said at least one policeman lost his life in the attack and five others were wounded.
| Al Ahram adds: |
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
jacket wallah struck outside the Afghan Interior Ministry on Wednesday, allowing several button men to pass through an outer gate where they shot it out with security forces, who eventually killed the attackers, officials said.
Hours after the attack, the Islamic State group grabbed credit for the bombing in a brief statement carried by its Aamaq news agency. The statement called it an "immersion attack" on the ministry in Kabul.