Three civilians killed as Afghan assault continues

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Police: 12 dead in Kabul UN attack

28/10/2009 - 10:12:50

Afghan police officers surround an unidentified body at the site of the attack in Kabul.

Taliban militants wearing suicide vests stormed a guest house used by UN staff in the heart of the Afghan capital early today, killing 12 people – including six UN staff – in the biggest in a series of attacks intended to undermine next month’s presidential run-off election.

One of the six UN dead was an American, the US Embassy said. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the early morning assaults, which also included rocket attacks at the presidential palace and the city’s main luxury hotel.

One rocket struck the “outer limit” of the presidential palace, but caused no casualties, presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada said. Another slammed into the grounds of the Serena Hotel, which is favoured by many foreigners.

The device failed to explode but filled the lobby with smoke, forcing guests and employees to flee to the basement, according to an Afghan witness who asked that his name not be used for security reasons.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack as “an inhuman act” and called on the army and police to strengthen security around all international institutions.

The chief of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said the attack “will not deter the UN from continuing all its work” in Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attacks in a telephone call, saying three militants with suicide vests, grenades and machine guns carried out the guest house assault.

He said three days ago that the Taliban issued a statement threatening anyone working on the November 7 runoff election between Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah.

“This is our first attack,” he said.

A security guard working nearby said the attackers at the guest house were wearing police uniforms.

UN spokesman Adrian Edwards said six UN staff were killed and nine other UN employees were wounded in the assault, which began about dawn in the Shar-e-Naw area of the city. Terrified guests fled the building during the assault – some screaming for help and others jumping from upper floors as flames engulfed part of the three-story building.

Afghan police and UN officials said 12 people in all were killed, including the UN staff, three attackers, two security guards and an Afghan civilian. The bodies of the attackers were taken out of the house and sent for autopsies, said Gul Mohammad, an officer at the scene.

It was not immediately known how the victims were killed or how the fire started, but witnesses said they heard prolonged gunfire ringing from the house before police arrived at the scene.

Police were seen pulling the charred body of what appeared to be a woman from a second-floor bedroom. One officer carried an injured German man by piggyback away from the scene.

Mr Edwards said officials were trying to account for several other UN workers who were staying at the guest house. He did not know their nationalities but said they were non-Afghans.

“This has clearly been a very serious incident for us,” Mr Edwards said. “We’ve not had an incident like this in the past.”

Mr Edwards said the UN would have to evaluate “what this means for our work in Afghanistan.”