[ 2011-08-19 ]

Deadly raid on UK Kabul compound
Gunmen have stormed the British Council office in
the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least nine
people and taking over the compound for hours.

A suicide car bomb destroyed the compound wall and
a number of heavily armed men forced their way
inside.

After several hours of gunfire and blasts, the
UK's ambassador in Kabul said all the gunmen had
been killed.

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

At least eight Afghan policemen and a foreign
security official - reportedly a New Zealand
special services soldier - were killed, Afghan
authorities said.

Isaf confirmed that one of its troops had been
killed during the operation without giving further
details about the soldier's nationality, AFP
reports.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the
"cowardly attack", saying he had spoken to New
Zealand Prime Minister John Key to thank him for
the role the country's special forces had played
in defending the compound.

The UK Foreign Office said all British citizens
were "shaken but well" after being safely removed
from the building.

Two British female teachers were among four
residents of the compound who took refuge in a
reinforced safe room during the attack, the
British Council said.

British ambassador William Patey said there were
injuries among the Nepalese ex-Gurkha soldiers
guarding the compound, but none had died, AFP
reported.

Armed assault

Friday's strike was a three-phase attack,
intelligence sources told the BBC. First, a
suicide attacker detonated his explosive vest at a
square in western Kabul where police were guarding
a key intersection shortly after 05:30 (01:30
GMT).

Ten minutes later, a suicide car bomber detonated
his vehicle outside the front gate of the British
Council, destroying a wall, which allowed the
attackers into the compound.

A number of Afghan policemen were feared to have
been buried in the rubble.

As the area was evacuated, local shopkeepers said
as many as nine insurgents armed with
rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and
AK-47s started firing as they ran towards the
British Council building.

British and US forces arrived at the scene shortly
after the attack and Afghan police provided
support, Kabul officials told the BBC.

They exchanged fire with police, and a lone
injured gunman managed to hold out for a number of
hours in an area protected by armoured doors and
glass before being killed, Afghan intelligence
officials said.

Police sources earlier told the BBC they believed
the suicide attackers had "brought enough weapons
to fight for a day".

Intelligence warning

There were reports that the country's national
intelligence agency had warned the interior
ministry of an imminent attack around midnight
last night.

The intelligence suggested that a suicide bomber
and at least two vehicles were attempting to make
their way from Kabul's Paghman district to the
centre of the city to carry out an attack. Police
sources said the intelligence was not very
specific and did not provide the location of the
intended target.

"They managed to enter in the early hours of
morning," intelligence and police sources said.
"Most of them were wearing burkas, posing as a
family. In our tradition and culture, it is
impossible to search women."

Condemning the "despicable attack", British
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: "My
thoughts are with those killed and injured and
their families and friends, including locals
working to protect the British Council building.

"It is due to the presence of mind of the staff
involved and our good security measures that no
British nationals were hurt," said Mr Burt.

"This attack, against people working to help build
a better future for Afghanistan, will not lessen
the UK's resolve to support the Afghan people."

The British Council is a partly government-funded
agency that runs mainly cultural programmes.

Martin Davidson, chief executive of the British
Council, said the attack on its Kabul office "must
not and will not" prevent it from giving young
Afghans the support they need.

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

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

Source - BBC

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