At least nine people have been killed in Wednesday’s suicide and gun attack on a US non-governmental organization headquartered in the capital Kabul, police confirmed Thursday.
HUNDREDS OF INJURED
Four Taliban insurgents stormed the office of the Counterpart International downtown Kabul’s Shahr-e-Nau area following a suicide car bombing. Clashes between the attackers and the Afghan security forces continued for hours in the heart of the capital’s bustling shopping and dining district.
Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi initially told Anadolu Agency that nine people were injured in the attack. However, the ministry said nine people were killed, including three civilians, four members of the Afghan National Civil Order Police, one member of the Special Forces and one private security guard of the non-profit group.
Claiming responsibility, Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahed, said in a statement that the organization was targeted for their alleged “harmful western activities” inside Afghanistan. The attack has been widely condemned.
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani dubbed it as an “unforgivable crime”. In a statement, he urged the Taliban to respect the calls for peace or “get ready to face the wrath of the Afghan security forces”.
Ann Hudock, the president and CEO of Counterpart, said in a statement the attack targeted innocent civilians, development professionals who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable, including women, youth, and the disabled.
A number of NGOs have been attacked by insurgents in Afghanistan over the past many years, but Wednesday’s attack was the first of its kind to target Counterpart that has been serving in Afghanistan for the past 14 years.