World

Five Taliban die in Kabul poll HQ attack

Kabul airport, which is in the same area of the city, was closed for several hours, with planes diverting to Karachi.

Afp March 30, 2014 Less than a minute read

a file photo of afghan security personnel arrive at the scene of an attack in kabul near afghan presidential candidate 039 s home photo reuters

A file photo of Afghan security personnel arrive at the scene of an attack in Kabul near Afghan Presidential candidate's home. PHOTO: REUTERS.

KABUL: Taliban insurgents wearing burqas unleashed rockets and gunfire on the Afghan election commission’s headquarters in Kabul on Saturday, in the latest major assault on the city one week before polling day.

Six hours after the attack began, security forces gunned down the last of the five gunmen who had occupied a nearby building and targeted the heavily-fortified election offices.

“Two members of special police units were slightly injured,” Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi told AFP.

Independent Election Commission (IEC) spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said that its employees were unharmed after many hid for hours in reinforced safe-rooms.

Kabul airport, which is in the same area of the city, was closed for several hours, with planes diverting to Karachi or returning to Delhi as well as other destinations.

“I heard several explosions, and I saw insurgents armed with heavy and light weapons taking up positions in a private building, and they started firing,” one local driver who declined to give his name said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2014.