Taliban attack int’l NGO in Kabul; 5 killed, dozens hurt
Taliban militants stormed a US-funded aid group’s central Kabul compound yesterday, having targeted the organisation for promoting Western culture and the “inter-mixing” of men and women.
At least five people were killed and dozens more wounded in the latest attack in the Afghan capital, which came even as US and Taliban officials were meeting in Qatar for peace talks.
The assault began around midday (0730 GMT) with a large explosion at Counterpart International, a non-profit group funded primarily by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US State Department.
Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said four attackers then entered the compound before Afghan security forces launched an hours-long clearance operation. At about 6:00 pm, Rahimi said “all the attackers have been killed.”
He said four civilians and one police officer were also killed, while about 200 people had been rescued from the area throughout the day.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Counterpart International was targeted because it promoted the “inter-mixing” of men and women.
The Taliban are notorious for their treatment of women during their reign from 1996-2001, when the Islamist extremists kept women locked up in houses, barred them from getting an education and sometimes stoned them to death on flimsy allegations of adultery.
John Bass, the US ambassador to Afghanistan, strongly condemned the attack against a US non-governmental organisation.
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