KABUL: The Taliban launched an attack on the centre of the Afghan capital on Tuesday, hitting Nato’s coalition force headquarters next to the US embassy in Kabul.
Insurgents fired rockets and assault rifles in the direction of the US Embassy, NATO headquarters and other official buildings this afternoon as gunfire and explosions rocked the heart of the Afghan capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan nearly a decade after the U.S. invasion that ousted the Taliban in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States. Police said the gunmen were firing from a tall office building that is under construction at Kabul’s Abdul Haq square, which is about 300 yards (meters) from the U.S. Embassy. American officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The American Embassy is on the edge of the Wazir Akbar Khan area, and gunfire and explosions rocked the area, which is home to a number of other foreign missions.
The insurgent group said the ongoing assault began with a suicide attack targeting local and foreign intelligence in the capital.
AFP reporters heard a string of loud blasts while police confirme one explosion and a gunfight close to the heavily-guarded embassy compound.
“Today at one o’clock at Kabul’s Abdul Haq roundabout a massive suicide attack on local and foreign intelligence facilities is ongoing,” said a spokesman for the insurgent group, Zabiullah Mujahid, in a text message to AFP.
A Western military source said Nato’s International Security Assistance Force headquarters was one of the targets.
“ISAF HQ is under attack at the moment,” the source said.