Kabul Attack-Suicide Bombers Attack British Council

[dan-b]

I guess this is progress for you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14585563

Suicide attackers have stormed the British Council office in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, killing at least three people.

After at least three explosions, half-a-dozen men forced their way into the compound, with the Taliban saying they carried out the attack.

A BBC correspondent says the attack is continuing and gunfire can be heard.

The Taliban said the attack marked the anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from the UK in 1919.

A UK Foreign Office spokeswoman later said: "We can confirm there was an attack against a British Council compound in Afghanistan.

"The embassy is co-ordinating with the Afghan authorities, who are dealing with the incident."

Wall collapsed

The first blast went off at 05:38 (01:08 GMT) in western Kabul, with a second 10 minutes later, Afghan police said.

"We believe there are eight to nine suicide attackers hiding inside the British Council building," police sources told the BBC.

They said the attackers had heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and hand grenades.

"They have brought enough weapons to fight for a day.''

It was not immediately clear whether the militants managed to enter the building itself after forcing their way into the compound.

British forces later arrived at the scene with Afghan police providing support, Kabul officials told the BBC.

One of the wall of the compound collapsed after the blasts, and there are fears that a number of Afghan policemen are buried in the rubble.

The British Council is government-funded agency which runs mainly cultural programmes.

The Afghan authorities earlier stepped up security in the capital, amid fears that an attack could be imminent on the public holiday.

However, the Taliban have recently shown that they can strike pretty much anywhere in Afghanistan, the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul reports.

[Faline]

Two terrified women UK teachers hid in a panic room as the Taliban launched a suicide attack on the British Council in Kabul today that left at least ten people dead.
They escaped unhurt but were said to be traumatised by the horrific assault, which coincided with the 92nd anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from the UK.
British Council chief executive Martin Davidson said: 'Clearly, they are deeply shocked. They were inside the compound for a very long period of time.'

Aftermath:




The women, who were working as English language teachers, were asleep when suicide bombers began their attack in the early hours of the morning by using a car bomb to blast through the walls of their compound.
They and their male bodyguard, believed to be South African, fled to the panic room as the insurgents holed themselves up in the British Council building and fought off Afghan and Nato security forces for more than five hours.
At least 10 people - including Afghan policemen, a security guard, an Afghan municipal worker and a member of New Zealand special forces - died in the attack on the west side of Kabul.
Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir William Patey, confirmed that all the militants were killed as well.
He said: 'This was a dastardly, cowardly attack designed to attack British interests, but ultimately ending in the deaths of many Afghans, and we regret the death of the Afghans in this.'
Prime Minister David Cameron had condemned the 'cowardly attack', and said he had spoken to the New Zealand PM to thank him for the role the country's special forces had played in defending the compound.
He added that the bombings would not halt the 'vital work' being carried out in Afghanistan.
There continued to be fighting this morning within the compound of the building with shots fired between security forces and insurgents, as well as news of three more blasts.
Heavily armed men forced their way into the building after two suicide bombers struck but then several hours later there was a third explosion.

At least eight people have been killed after two suicide bombers targeted the British Council in Kabul:




A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack. He added that the target was a British cultural centre and a UN guest house.
He said: 'Today is our independence day from Britain. They recognised our independence 92 years ago - today's attack was marking that day.
'Now the British have invaded our country again and they will recognise our independence day again.'

Afghan police said at least one other attacker got inside the compound and was exchanging gunfire with Afghan troops two hours after the initial blast.
Afghan and British troops were dispatched to the scene early this morning and made preparations to assault the compound.
The explosions took place in the early hours of Afghan Independence Day, which marks Afghanistan's full independence from Britain in 1919.





It was not clear whether the attack was connected with the anniversary.
Kabul police official Farooq Asas said a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives.
A spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry confirmed the blasts had taken place.
The blasts shattered glass in buildings a third of a mile from the site, and gunfire and smoke were reported in the area.
Founded in 1934, the British Council is a registered charity and is described as the UK's international relations body.



According to its website, the organisation has had a 'long association' with Afghanistan.
Its current focus in the country is mainly on education and English language teaching, the website states.
While violence continues to rage in many parts of Afghanistan, attacks in the capital are relatively uncommon.
In June, 21 people were killed at a Kabul hotel, including nine insurgents, with militants fighting Nato and Afghan troops for five hours with rocket-propelled grenades and suicide bombs.

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[Faline]

[Viking64]

Bastards.

[kellyhound]

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and leaders of coalition forces Friday condemned the suicide bombings at the British Council in which 12 people died.

The U.S. Defense Department said reports indicated a combination of vehicle-borne and personal-borne bombs were detonated Friday at the British Council. Four suicide bombers were among the casualties.

The attack ended up killing mostly Afghans — five policemen and a municipal worker.
The two other victims were a security guard of unknown nationality and a New Zealand special forces soldier who was shot in the chest as he tried to free hostages.


Sixteen others were wounded in the attack on the British Council, an international charity that gives leadership training and does other work toward a post-conflict Afghanistan.

The two language teachers — a Briton and a South African — were still sleeping at about 6 a.m. when a suicide bomber detonated explosives packed in a car outside the compound. The blast breached a wall, and another attacker rushed into the compound and blew himself up.

The two female teachers and their male British bodyguard dashed to a safe room, where they stayed as militants and security forces fought for more than eight hours with rocket-propelled grenades, explosives, machine guns and rifles.

All three were safely rescued from the site, which was littered with debris from the initial twin explosions that shattered windows a third of a mile (half a kilometer) away.

[Nite]

thank you for your ultimate sacrifice brother

[rich]

At Porton Down devopment establishment. We've got some serious fucking chemical biological weapons. Maybe we should be brushing off the cobwebs of those. Que?