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Taliban Stage Brazen Assaults Against Western Targets in Kabul

Phil Ittner | Islamabad September 13, 2011

Taliban insurgents armed with suicide vests and rocket-propelled grenades launched a series of attacks Tuesday in central Kabul, including NATO's headquarters, the U.S. Embassy and the Afghan intelligence agency.

Taliban spokemen took responsibility for the attacks in Kabul, which hit the U.S. Embassy, the headquarters of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the headquarters of the Afghan government's main intelligence agency, among other targets.

The sound of the fighting echoed around the center of the city and residents fled the exchanges of small arms fire. The insurgents also used rocket propelled grenades and other weapons.

In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters he believed the Afghan authorities could bring the situation back under control and that the Taliban's tactics ultimately would fail.

"We are following the developments closely," he said. "We have confidence in the Afghan authorities' ability to deal with this situation. The Taliban try to test [the] transition. But they can’t stop it. [The] transition is on track and it will continue."

With the surge of NATO forces in Afghanistan, the insurgency is no longer as effective on the battlefield as in past fighting seasons. So, in recent months, the Taliban have shifted their tactics to higher profile attacks.

There have been reports of several civilian casualties in Kabul, and at least one Afghan police officer has been killed.

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqi said several of the attackers have died in the assault on the U.S. Embassy.

"They stormed into an unfinished building and opened fire on our police. Two of them were killed by our police. Three are still there but we hope to kill them soon," said Siddiqi.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed in a press release that the facility had come under fire. But it said there had been no casualties among embassy personnel.

Earlier Tuesday, there had been an increase in intelligence that an attack in Kabul was imminent, and some roads into the city were blocked.

However, that did not prevent the attacks later in the day. Afghan authorities say they have blocked off other sections of central Kabul, where the attacks are ongoing, and are sending in reinforcements to deal with the situation.

NATO has also responded to the attacks and is providing air support to Afghan forces in suppressing the insurgents.