Afghan Taliban claim attack on Presidential Place

A heavily armed group of Afghan Taliban launched a brazen attack on security forces near the President palace early Tuesday that lead to a several hour firefight, officials and witnesses said.

Afghan officials claimed that they killed all the attackers.

Reports said that President Hamid Karzai was in the presidential palace at the time of the attack and was scheduled to talk to the media.

Taliban claimed responsibility and the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the fighters inflicted heavy losses on the security forces.

Afghan officials have not confirmed any casualty.

Afghan media reported that more than a dozen explosions occurred in front of the Presidential Palace in the high-security Shashdarak neighbourhood of Kabul.

Intense gunfire lasting about 40 minutes rattled the area, which security forces cordoned off, said Brig. Gen. Ayub Salangi, the Kabul police chief. Three to four bombers, with fake security cards, wanted to enter the palace.

Security guards intercepted the vehicle the bombers were travelling in, he said, adding the attackers were killed. The area had been brought under control, the police head said, without giving casualty figures.

But details of the brazen attack could not be gathered because journalists were not allowed to enter the locality. After the assault that began at about 6:40am, ambulances and firefighting vehicles were seen in Shashdarak.

The Taliban spokesman for the group said a group of assailants, equipped with weapons and bombs, had stormed the Presidential Palace.

A witness said columns of smoke billowed from the eastern gate of the Presidential Palace in the wake of the the blasts. A CIA office and the US embassy are also located in the neighbourhood.

A resident of Kabul told the media that the explosions took place near a gate of the Presidential Palace which is located to the east of the Presidential Palace and opens to the Pol-e Mohammad Khan area. He said it was not clear whether or not the attackers managed to enter the Presidential Palace and he had no information about casualties.

Giving details of the attack, the Taliban spokesman said,  “A number of armed Taleban started attacks in Kabul city at around 0630, local time, this morning. They carried out attacks on the Ariana Hotel, where foreigners live, the Presidential Palace, the Ministry of Defence and other government building. Some tactical explosions were also conducted and casualties have been inflicted on the enemy but details are not available.” He said: “Foreign intelligence officials are based at the Ariana Hotel.”

This attack has taken place after the Taleban office was opened in Qatar on Tuesday, 18 June.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Jun 25 2013. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.