Taliban attack Afghanistan Parliament, six gunmen killed
Kabul: Kabul Police Spokesman Ebadullah Karimi said one Taliban fighter driving a car detonated a bomb outside Parliament gates and six others took up positions near the building. Afghan forces killed six of them and all Lawmakers are safe, he said.
The attack on the symbolic centre of power raises serious questions about the NATO-trained Afghan security forces’ ability to cope and how far the militants can advance.
Violence has spiralled in Afghanistan since the departure of most foreign forces at the end of last year. The insurgents are pushing to take territory more than 13 years after US-led military intervention that toppled the Taliban from power.
The attack took place when a Taliban fighter driving a car loaded with explosives blew up outside Parliament gates, said Ebadullah Karimi, spokesman for Kabul Police, raising questions about how the driver got through several security checkpoints.
Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said all lawmakers are safe. TV pictures showed the Speaker sitting calmly and Legislators leaving the building, engulfed in dust and smoke, without panicking. Four women were among the 19 wounded, said Sayed Kabir Amiri, a health official who coordinates Kabul hospitals.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility. “We have launched an attack on the Parliament as there was an important gathering to introduce the country’s Defence Minister,” he said over phone.
Lawmaker Farhad Sediqi was among several lawmakers who criticised security agencies for not preventing the attack. “It shows a big failure in the intelligence and security departments of the government,” he said.
