Taliban attack: Fresh explosions rock Kabul, 19 killed

Mangaloretoday/ CNN-IBN

Kabul, April 15: The Afghan capital awoke to more explosions and heavy gunfire in the heart of the city and near the nation’s parliamentary building. This a day after militants launched an unprecedented attack using rockets and suicide bombers in the Afghan capital and 3 other provinces. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the strikes. Reports said that Afghan security forces have killed at least 19 militants. All Indian embassy staff members are reported to be safe.

 

 

The Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said on Monday that one militant is still holed up in a building in the center of Kabul where insurgents began their attack on Sunday in the capital and three eastern cities.

The Taliban attacked embassies, government buildings and NATO bases. Authorities say one police officer was killed in the attack. Local residents near parliament confirmed that fighting was still under way there.

The German embassy was damaged in the attack which was in the city’s diplomatic area. Officials say that the Afghan Vice President was among the targets. A US analyst said the Haqqani network could be involved in the attack as well.

The Taliban called it the start of their spring offensive. "These attacks are the beginning of the spring offensive and we had planned them for months," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

The assault, one of the most serious on the capital since US-backed Afghan forces removed the Taliban from power in 2001, highlighted the ability of militants to strike the heavily guarded diplomatic zone even after more than 10 years of war.

The Taliban said the main targets were the German and British embassies and the headquarters of Afghanistan’s NATO-led force. Several Afghan members of parliament joined security forces repelling attackers from a roof near the parliament.

The Taliban said in a statement that "tens of fighters", armed with heavy and light weapons, and some wearing suicide-bomb vests, were involved.

The assault in Kabul appeared to repeat the tactics of an attack last September when insurgents entered construction sites to use them as positions for rocket and gun attacks.

Sunday’s attack took place hours after dozens of Islamist militants stormed a prison in neighbouring Pakistan in the dead of night and freed nearly 400 inmates, including one on death row for trying to assassinate former President Pervez Musharraf.