Afghan gunfight: Explosions and firing rock Kabul

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Source: BBC

Bombs and gunfire have rocked the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul, police say.

A string of loud blasts were heard in the city centre and police confirmed there had been a gunfight.

Roads have been closed in the area, reports say.

The violence comes three weeks after suicide attackers stormed the British Council office in the city, killing more than 10 Afghan policemen and a foreign security official.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14897358

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1. Recommend

[Omaha Steve]

2. Rockets fired at US embassy in Afghan capital

Source: AP-Excite

By AMIR SHAH and RAHIM FAIEZ

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Insurgents fired rockets and assault rifles in the direction of the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other official buildings Tuesday as gunfire and explosions rocked the heart of the Afghan capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan nearly a decade after the U.S. invasion that ousted the Taliban in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States.

Police said the gunmen were firing from a tall office building that is under construction at Kabul's Abdul Haq square, which is about 300 yards (meters) from the U.S. Embassy. American officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110913/D9PNJ64O0.html

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4. Afghan insurgents attack U.S. Embassy

The Taliban claims responsibility for the strike in the heart of the Afghan capital, saying 'heavy casualties' have been inflicted. The attack with rockets and automatic weapons appears to center on the well-fortified 'green zone,' where the U.S. Embassy and the headquarters of NATO forces are housed.

By Laura King, Los Angeles Times

September 13, 2011, 6:07 a.m.
Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan—

Insurgents staged a brazen attack Tuesday in the heart of the Afghan capital, firing rockets apparently aimed at the U.S. Embassy or the nearby headquarters of the NATO force.

Heavy explosions echoed near a central square, as terrified Afghans fled the sound of fighting. "Again, again!" said an elderly shopkeeper as he hastily rolled down the metal shutter protecting his carpet store and prepared to flee.

Insurgents appeared to have seized a tall building under construction as a staging ground for the attack with rockets and automatic weapons -- a tactic used previously in similar strikes elsewhere in the country. The targeted area is dense with diplomatic compounds and other foreign installations.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-kabul-attack-20110914,0,5795907.story

[tawadi]

5. Seven dead as Taliban target US embassy

Source: news.com.au

Seven dead as Taliban target US embassy

TALIBAN gunmen with suicide vests and rockets have launched coordinated attacks in Kabul targeting the US embassy and NATO's headquarters, killing at least seven people and sparking gunbattles.

At least seven loud explosions shook the usually secure diplomatic neighbourhood accompanied by waves of automatic gunfire over about five hours.

The US embassy blared out warnings for staff to take cover as insurgents struck from a high-rise building being constructed a few hundred metres from the embassy and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/seven-dead-as-taliban-target-us-embassy/story-e6frfku0-1226136402075

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7. BBC is reporting ongoing fighting as they are still clearing buildings of attackers

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8. Kabul standoff continues into night

Taliban gunmen armed with suicide vests and heavy weaponry have launched co-ordinated attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul, targeting NATO's headquarters, the US embassy, and the Afghan intelligence agency.

Heavy gunfire continued to be heard late into the night on Tuesday as Afghan forces battled to clear a building in the city's diplomatic quarter which had been taken over by heavily armed fighters. Rockets have reportedly been fired at the US and other embassies in the area.

At least four policemen and two civilians have been killed and 18 others injured, according to police and hopsital sources.

Police have surrounded the occupied building, calling in air support to end a siege carried out by gunmen resisting inside the building.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/09/20119139512498402.html

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9. Pentagon Says Kabul Assault ‘Far from Spectacular’

Pentagon officials say Tuesday’s attacks on the U.S. Embassy and other targets in Kabul, Afghanistan will not change U.S. plans to hand over security responsibility to the Afghan government.

Pentagon officials say the attacks will do nothing to change U.S. forces’ resolve in Afghanistan. U.S. Defense Department spokesman George Little says U.S. forces remain committed to fulfilling their goals. “The transition remains on track. Our commitment to the people of Afghanistan and to building the capacity of the Afghan national army and the Afghan national police and other elements of the Afghan security forces remains steadfast. I would note that this was far from a so-called spectacular attack," he said.

U.S. officials believe the attack showed how weak the insurgents remain. Little says Tuesday's attacks had no effect on coalition operations. “One thing we’ve seen during this fighting season is a less effective insurgency. They are resorting to these kinds of more tactical operations because they can’t effect more widespread offensives," he said.

NATO says it has been making big gains against the insurgency, but analysts say security in Afghanistan, despite the assertions, is deteriorating. August was the most deadly month for U.S. troops in the country with 66 killed - 30 of them in the crash of a U.S. helicopter downed by insurgents.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Pentagon-Says-Kabul-Assault-Far-from-Spectacular-129752403.html