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Taliban overruns international NGO office in Kabul attack

May 08, 2019
Smoke rises from the site of a blast in Kabul on Wednesday. — Reuters
Smoke rises from the site of a blast in Kabul on Wednesday. — Reuters

Kabul — Taliban militants Wednesday overran a central Kabul compound housing an international aid organization, Afghan officials said, the latest assault to rock the war-torn city.

Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said the latest attack began with an explosion near the offices of Counterpart International, an NGO with operations in Afghanistan.

Officials earlier wrongly identified the target as the nearby CARE International.

"Some attackers have entered the NGO's compound. The police have surrounded the area and a clearing operation is ongoing," Rahimi said.

In a tweet, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Counterpart was involved in "harmful" activities in Afghanistan, and was linked to USAID.

Wahidullah Mayar, the spokesman for the ministry of public health, said at least nine people had been wounded.

Witnesses said the explosion shook nearby buildings and shattered windows.

"We started running out of the building and while running outside I heard small gunfire and the sound of grenades going off nearby," said Akbar Khan Sahadat, a prosecutor in the Attorney General's office which was close to the scene of the blast.

Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told AFP earlier this week that the latest round of peace talks had been bogged down over the issue of when foreign forces might withdraw in return for the Taliban security guarantees.

The two foes are hammering out a deal that could see foreign forces leave Afghanistan in return for a ceasefire, talks between the government and the Taliban, and a guarantee the country will not be used as a safe haven for terror groups. — Reuters


May 08, 2019
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