Attack on Kabul ends after 20 hours
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 September 2011 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Attack on Kabul ends after 20 hours, 14 September 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e8973cbc.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated (GMT/UTC): 14.09.2011 09:02
An assault by Taliban insurgents on the heart of Kabul's diplomatic and military enclave has ended after 20 hours, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said.
"Fortunately, we have killed the six militants who launched attacks yesterday from this high building where they had been holed up," Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayub Salangi said. "As you see, this was a better location for them to launch the attack, but they could not blow up their car which was full of explosives."
The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, in an interview transcript distributed to journalists, said about six or seven rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the perimeter of the U.S. Embassy compound.
Insurgents on September 13 also launched three separate attacks on the outskirts of Kabul.
Afghan officials earlier said at least nine people were killed and more than 20 injured in the coordinated attacks.
The U.S. Embassy said all embassy staff were safe.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the "cowardly attack" would not intimidate Washington nor its allies in Afghanistan.
"The opposition of violent extremists – the Taliban and their allies – engage in a constant effort to threaten and to undermine the peace and progress of the Afghan people," she said. "So we will be vigilant, but we will be continuing with even greater commitment to doing all we can to give the Afghan people who have suffered so much a chance at a better future for themselves and their children."
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the attacks were aimed at derailing plans to hand over security to Afghan forces and that they would fail.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the attacks would only stiffen the resolve of Afghan security forces.
with agency reports
Link to original story on RFE/RL website