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Insurgents Seize Afghan Government Offices in Deadly Attack At Least 44 Killed in Taliban Assault and Standoff
(35 minutes later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — Eight Taliban insurgents dressed in Afghan Army uniforms staged a complex assault on a provincial government compound in western Afghanistan on Wednesday morning, killing at least six officials and civilians and seizing several hostages in one of the buildings, officials and witnesses said. KABUL, Afghanistan — In one of the most deadly insurgent attacks in the decade-long war here, nine Taliban fighters dressed as Afghan soldiers stormed a government compound in western Afghanistan on Wednesday morning, leaving at least 44 people dead and wounding more than 100 in a hostage standoff.
Officials said the violence began after the insurgents detonated a small pickup truck laden with explosives near the entrance to the government compound. Government officials said the Taliban seized the second floor of the provincial court building, which is near the offices of the mayor, prosecutor and governor, among other officials. The complex assault began at around 8:45 a.m., when two suicide attackers detonated explosives packed into an army truck at the entrance gate of the provincial government compound in Farah, according to police officials. After the explosion, which ripped through the mayor’s office and neighboring buildings, insurgents rushed the packed provincial courthouse, taking civilians and a handful of employees hostage.
In addition to the people killed in the attack, roughly 75 others were wounded, including women and children, according to hospital officials. Shah Mohammad Noor, head of the regional court for western Afghanistan, said four of the attackers had been killed so far. Afghan security forces surrounded the building, firing at the Taliban fighters tucked away on the second floor. At some point during the nearly 7-hour gunfight, the insurgents took the hostages downstairs to the basement and shot them, the police said.
“The firefight is still ongoing,” said Mohammad Akram Khpalwak, the governor of Farah Province. “The terrorists are still resisting.” By 4 p.m., the fight was over, leaving behind a scene of carnage and destruction. The death toll: 34 civilians, 10 Afghan security forces and all nine insurgents, the Farah police said. More than 100 people, mostly civilians, suffered wounds.
The insurgents are thought to be holding several government officials and civilians hostage in the provincial courthouse, witnesses said. Gunshots and explosions continued to ring out through Wednesday afternoon, leaving the compound badly damaged, said Jalil Khan, an employee in the provincial income tax department who witnessed the turmoil. The attack highlighted the deteriorating security situation in Farah, a restive province that borders Iran to the west. The last major assault in the province occurred in May, when four insurgents dressed as police officers staged an attack on the governor’s compound, killing at least 11 people and wounding a dozen others. But violent attacks in general have been on the rise recently in the province.
“Everywhere you see people are wounded and bleeding,” he said when reached by phone from the scene. “God knows how many people are killed and wounded in this brutal attack.” Officials from Farah said the province has become a hotbed for the insurgency and drug traffickers, as the government focuses its resources on more violent areas of the country. Humaira Ayobi, a member of the parliament representing Farah, said a recent effort by the police to stem the drug trade may have contributed to the violence seen Wednesday. Last month, five police officers were killed in the province while conducting a poppy eradication campaign.
Violence in Farah has been sharply rising in recent months, as the Taliban in the region battle for control of the restive province, which borders Iran to the west. In May, four insurgents dressed as police officers staged an attack on the governor’s compound, killing at least 11 people and wounding others. As warm weather spreads throughout Afghanistan, a period referred to as the fighting season, Taliban violence is expected to increase.
Separately, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a roadside bomb that killed four local policemen, including a commander, in the Jani Khail district of Paktika Province on Tuesday evening, officials said. “Farah is bleeding and crying today,” said Humaira Ayobi, a member of the parliament representing Farah. “The province will mourn for weeks.”
Taliban attacks are expected to increase with the onset of warm weather in Afghanistan, a period referred to as the fighting season. On the street where the attack took place Wednesday, witnesses described a nightmarish scene, with bodies splayed all over the street. Ambulances carted charred bodies from the buildings, among them the offices of the mayor, prosecutor and the governor, among other officials.
“When I reached the street I saw that all shops and houses around the court house were destroyed,” said Jalil Khan, 47, a civil servant at the customs office. “I saw men, women and some children lying on the ground, bleeding or burned. Some of them didn’t know where they were or what had happened to them.”
Shujauddin, 22, a teacher in Farah city, said he was in the courthouse to address a land dispute when the first explosion struck the government compound. When Shajauddin, who uses one name, tried to escape, he was shot in the arm twice and caught a third bullet in the leg. He woke up hours later in the hospital, he said.
The attack in Farah Province coincided with the highly anticipated return of Afghanistan’s powerful intelligence chief, Asadullah Khalid, who was seriously wounded in a December suicide attack. Mr. Khalid, who was treated in the United States and required multiple surgeries, returned to Kabul on Wednesday morning.The attack in Farah Province coincided with the highly anticipated return of Afghanistan’s powerful intelligence chief, Asadullah Khalid, who was seriously wounded in a December suicide attack. Mr. Khalid, who was treated in the United States and required multiple surgeries, returned to Kabul on Wednesday morning.
Mr. Khalid’s return, heralded by “Welcome” banners strung from traffic posts across Kabul, is seen by many as a symbolic victory for the Afghan government. After the attack in December, when an insurgent detonated a hidden bomb at a National Directorate of Security guesthouse, Mr. Khalid’s well-being — and eventual return — was in question. Mr. Khalid’s return, heralded by “Welcome” banners strung from traffic posts across the city of Kabul, is seen by many as a symbolic victory for the Afghan government. At the time of the attack last December, when an insurgent detonated a hidden bomb at a National Directorate of Security guesthouse, Mr. Khalid’s very survival, no less his return, was in question.
But for months, the government has promised that he would retake the helm of the intelligence agency. On Wednesday, the agency issued a statement celebrating his return and promising to “continue its services day and night to bring security, peace and stability to the country.” But for months, the government promised he would again take the helm of the intelligence agency. On Wednesday, the agency, known as the N.D.S., issued a statement celebrating his return and promising to “continue its services day and night to bring security, peace and stability to the country.”
A former governor of Kandahar and Ghazni Provinces and a close associate of President Hamid Karzai, Mr. Khalid has presided over a fierce crackdown on the Taliban during his tenure as chief of the security directorate. He is also seen as a relentless detractor of Pakistan. A former governor of Kandahar and Ghazni Provinces and close associate of President Hamid Karzai, Mr. Khalid has presided over a fierce crackdown on the Taliban during his tenure as chief of the National Directorate of Security. He is also seen as a relentless detractor of Pakistan.
His efforts have won him both praise and criticism from Western officials.His efforts have won him both praise and criticism from Western officials.
While he received visits from President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta while hospitalized in America, the intelligence chief has been dogged by accusations of corruption and of association with a torture prison while governor of Kandahar. While he received visits from President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta while hospitalized in America, the intelligence chief has been dogged by allegations of corruption and that he was associated with a torture prison while governor of Kandahar.
Those nagging concerns have followed him to the security agency, which has been accused by the United Nations of abusing prisoners. Mr. Khalid and the agency have denied the accusations. Those concerns have followed him to the N.D.S., which has been accused by the United Nations of prisoner abuse in its prison facilities. Mr. Khalid and the N.D.S. have denied the allegations of torture and corruption.