Taliban bombers killed in Kabul blast
Explosion followed by gunfire heard in so-called Green Village housing international contractors and businesses.
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The Green Village has previously been the target of attacks [Reuters]
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A high-security international zone in eastern Kabul
known as the Green Village is under attack, a senior police source has
said on Wednesday. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, in which the Interior Ministry says all four suicide attackers were killed. Earlier on Wednesday evening, a loud explosion followed by sporadic gunfire were heard in the Afghan capital. The Interior Ministry confirmed that the initial blast had been a car bomb. Police chief General Mohammad Zahir said there were no civilian or military casualties in the attack. "At around 9:00 pm an explosion occurred near the custom office and near Green Village," Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanakzai told AFP news agency.
Al Jazeera's Abdullah Shahood, reporting from Kabul, said the area housed a lot of international contractors. "Taliban activities are increasing in the area, according to Afghan intelligence," he said. "After the initial explosion there was gunfire, which is still ongoing. It is sporadic and we do not know who is firing yet, there are some reports it is a group attack against the Green Village." The initial blast knocked out power to some residential areas in Kabul. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the situation was not yet under control and fighting continued. General Mohammad Zahir, Kabul's police chief, said gunfire followed the blast but it was not clear if the shooting came from inside or outside the compound. He said security forces surrounded the area. Increasing attacks The heavily fortified Green Village is in an eastern neighbourhood of Kabul and houses foreigners working for international service companies. Attacks of this type have been increasing in Afghanistan in the months since President Ashraf Ghani was inaugurated as president and ahead of the withdrawal of foreign forces at the end of the year. Ali Latifi, a journalist with the LA Times based in Kabul told Al Jazeera that the attack was unusual as it happened in the evening. "Normally these attacks happen during the morning or the afternoon," he said. "There is also the fact that it is winter, when attacks are supposed to dissipate, so it is worrying that there are still attacks happening in the capital." |
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Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
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