Kabul siege ends after 10-hour gun battle at aid group compound
September 07, 2016 01:57
A 10-hour siege by Taliban militants on a compound that houses a local charity in the Afghan capital ended Tuesday when security forces shot dead the last of the attackers and rescued dozens of people, government officials said.
One person was killed and six others were wounded after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle late Monday in Kabul's Shar-e Naw district.
The blast occurred outside the compound used by a charity for Afghan veterans and their families, said an Afghan security official familiar with the group.
The blast opened the way for three gunmen to enter the facility, setting off a gun battle with Afghan security forces, who eventually killed the attackers and rescued 42 people, including 10 foreigners, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their target was foreign spies. They said militants were involved in the assault on the compound, which had been under surveillance for three months.
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