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Kabul airport comes under rocket fire Kabul airport comes under rocket fire
(about 1 month later)
A squad of suicide attackers took over A squad of suicide attackers took over a half-finished building just outside the perimeter of Kabul airport to shower rockets and gunfire on the compound in a pre-dawn attack.
a half-finished building just outside the perimeter of Kabul airport The assault shut down the airport of Afghanistan's capital and forced incoming flights to divert to other cities – but began before the airport opened to passengers and security officials picking off the fighters one by one said there were no reports of civilian deaths or injuries.
to shower rockets and gunfire on the compound in a pre-dawn attack. “At half past four in the morning a group of attackers took over an empty building near the airport,” said police spokesman Hashmat Stankezai. “First the attackers set off a car bomb, then they climbed into a building that was under construction.”
The assault shut down the airport of Afghanistan's capital and Eyewitnesses living near the building, part of a gated apartment complex stretching up a gentle slope, said they heard three or four large explosions followed by rocket and small arms fire.
forced incoming flights to divert to other cities – but began Four hours of sporadic fighting followed, but hemmed in by Afghan commandos the Taliban squad had few chances to target the airport again.
before the airport opened to passengers and security officials picking off the The attack followed the same template as another Taliban operation just over a year ago. Then seven fighters holed up on a building site to aim at the airport from a distance, shutting it down and grabbing headlines worldwide but doing little damage.
fighters one by one said there were no reports of civilian deaths or “We started an operation this morning at Kabul airport, which is a military airport housing foreign and Afghan forces,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. “The attackers are armed with explosive vests and heavy and light weapons and we have damaged the airport.”
injuries. The suicide squad operation follows a series of rocket attacks on the airport hangars, one of which hit and destroyed the helicopter used by President Hamid Karzai.
“At half past four in the morning a The attack on Thursday has comes just hours before Afghanistan begins an unprecedented audit of every single vote cast in the contested presidential election to replace Karzai. Ballot boxes will be flown into Kabul by Nato forces so they can be checked under the eye of international auditors. The Taliban have denounced the poll as a sham and may be looking to disrupt the recount.
group of attackers took over an empty building near the airport,”
said police spokesman Hashmat Stankezai. “First the attackers set
off a car bomb, then they climbed into a building that was under
construction.”
Eyewitnesses living near the building,
part of a gated apartment complex stretching up a gentle slope, said
they heard three or four large explosions followed by rocket and
small arms fire.
Four
hours of sporadic fighting followed, but hemmed in by Afghan commandos
the Taliban squad had few chances to target the airport again.
The attack followed the same template
as another Taliban operation just over a year ago. Then seven
fighters holed up on a building site to aim at the airport from a
distance, shutting it down and grabbing headlines worldwide but
doing little damage.
“We started an operation this morning
at Kabul airport, which is a military airport housing foreign and
Afghan forces,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. “The
attackers are armed with explosive vests and heavy and light weapons
and we have damaged the airport.”
The suicide squad operation follows a
series of rocket attacks on the airport hangars, one of which hit and
destroyed the helicopter used by President Hamid Karzai.
The attack on Thursday has comes just hours before Afghanistan begins
an unprecedented audit of every single vote cast in the contested
presidential election to replace Karzai. Ballot boxes will be flown into Kabul by
Nato forces so they can be checked under the eye of international
auditors. The Taliban have denounced the poll as a sham and may be
looking to disrupt the recount.
Additional reporting by Mokhtar AmiriAdditional reporting by Mokhtar Amiri