Taliban launch attacks across Afghanistan

[Zarvan]

Taliban fighters have opened fire and stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan in the most serious of a string of attacks across the country, while in Kabul two rockets struck inside the grounds of the city's international airport but caused no damage.

Following the attack on Monday, police surrounded the provincial justice ministry building in the city of Jalabad and were engaging in sporadic exchanges of gunfire with the fighters inside, said General Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, the provincial police chief of Nangarhar province.

The attackers struck around 9am (06:00 GMT) as employees were arriving for work, Sherzad said, but it was unclear how many people may have been inside the building when the fighters took over.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack but provided no further details. Last week, the Taliban said they would launch their annual Spring offensive on May 12.

Also on Monday, in eastern Afghanistan, groups of fighters, including some on motorbikes, attacked police checkpoints, killing three people and wounding eight.

The attacks happened on the outskirts of the city of Ghazni in the province by the same name, said deputy provincial governor, Mohammad Ali Ahmadi.

Two women and a policeman were killed, while two policemen and six civilians, including three children, were wounded, said Ahmadi.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Airport attack

In Jalalabad, attackers targeted a police vehicle and detonated a roadside bomb on Monday, wounding six people, including two policemen.

In the capital, Kabul, two rockets fired from an unknown location landed inside the perimeter of the city's international airport without causing any damage, Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said.

In addition, two rockets were fired toward the Bagram military airbase, 48km north of Kabul but also caused no damage, provincial police chief Masoom Farzahee said.

About 51,000 US-led NATO troops still deployed in Afghanistan are set to withdraw by December, ending a long and costly battle to defeat the rebels, who launched a fierce insurgency after being ousted from power.

A small number of US troops may stay on from next year on a training and counter-terrorism mission, but the Taliban warned that the insurgency would continue against even a few thousand US troops.

Taliban launch attacks across Afghanistan - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English

 

[Chronos]

I am sure Zarvan had plenty of tissues and lotion at hand over this story

 

[Zarrar Alvi]

May 12 looks like they love altaf bhai

 

[illusion8]

Taliban fighters have opened fire and stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan in the most serious of a string of attacks across the country, while in Kabul two rockets struck inside the grounds of the city's international airport but caused no damage.

Following the attack on Monday, police surrounded the provincial justice ministry building in the city of Jalabad and were engaging in sporadic exchanges of gunfire with the fighters inside, said General Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, the provincial police chief of Nangarhar province.

The attackers struck around 9am (06:00 GMT) as employees were arriving for work, Sherzad said, but it was unclear how many people may have been inside the building when the fighters took over.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack but provided no further details. Last week, the Taliban said they would launch their annual Spring offensive on May 12.

Also on Monday, in eastern Afghanistan, groups of fighters, including some on motorbikes, attacked police checkpoints, killing three people and wounding eight.

The attacks happened on the outskirts of the city of Ghazni in the province by the same name, said deputy provincial governor, Mohammad Ali Ahmadi.

Two women and a policeman were killed, while two policemen and six civilians, including three children, were wounded, said Ahmadi.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Airport attack

In Jalalabad, attackers targeted a police vehicle and detonated a roadside bomb on Monday, wounding six people, including two policemen.

In the capital, Kabul, two rockets fired from an unknown location landed inside the perimeter of the city's international airport without causing any damage, Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said.

In addition, two rockets were fired toward the Bagram military airbase, 48km north of Kabul but also caused no damage, provincial police chief Masoom Farzahee said.

About 51,000 US-led NATO troops still deployed in Afghanistan are set to withdraw by December, ending a long and costly battle to defeat the rebels, who launched a fierce insurgency after being ousted from power.

A small number of US troops may stay on from next year on a training and counter-terrorism mission, but the Taliban warned that the insurgency would continue against even a few thousand US troops.

Taliban launch attacks across Afghanistan - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English

 

[nangyale]

Analysis

David Loyn BBC News, Kabul
The International Crisis Group report found that last year was one of the most violent since 2001, and that as international troops withdrew, Afghan forces suffered their worst casualties since the conflict began. "For the first time, the insurgents inflicted almost as many casualties on Afghan security forces as they suffered themselves in 2013."

The Taliban have avoided large-scale attacks on international forces, fearing they would lose too many men. But they have been more willing to gather in large numbers to attack Afghan forces, and "several accounts of battles in remote districts suggested the sides were nearly matched in strength".

International donors, mainly the US, have agreed to fund Afghan armed forces that are 228,000 strong, 140,000 troops smaller than the present force. The budget for this is $4.1bn.

But as international troops leave, the Afghan security forces will face a far harder challenge.

 

[CENTCOM]

It is quite clear that the terrorists are desperately trying to tilt the scenario in their favor. Unfortunately for them, the nation of Afghanistan continues to move forward towards a better future. The people of Afghanistan have fully embraced democracy, as evident by the high turnout at the elections, leaving the enemies of peace desperate to react. We must take heart in the fact that Afghanistan has come a long way since the Taliban rule. We will not let these acts of terror prevent us from achieving our peace objectives. We have full confidence in the ANSF capabilities, and our nations are working closely to address the remaining challenges. We condemn all acts of violence that are orchestrated in hope of sabotaging our peace efforts throughout the region.

Ali Khan
Digital Engagement Team, USCENTCOM

 

[GR!FF!N]

In the eastern city of Jalalabad, at around 9 a.m., three insurgents stormed the offices of the Afghan justice department, sparking a four-hour gunbattle, Afghan officials and witnesses said. In the fighting, two security guards and two government employees were killed and three people were injured. The attackers also died.

In the southeastern province of Ghazni, the Taliban showered rockets and fired machine guns on multiple police checkpoints on the outskirts of Ghazni city, according to Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, the province's deputy governor. Two women and one policeman were killed and eight people were injured, three children among them, he said.

Taliban gunmen also opened fire on a police check post in the Sangin district of Helmand province, killing three policemen and injuring four, according to Omar Zwak, spokesman for the local government in Helmand.

at dawn Monday, four rockets hit Bagram Air Field, the main base of U.S.-led forces in eastern Afghanistan. A spokesman for the international coalition said the rockets caused minor damage to a building and to equipment but that no one was killed.

two rockets hit Kabul International Airport, landing a few meters from the runway. The shrapnel was removed quickly, and by 8 a.m. flights were resumed, according to Yaqub Rassoul, the head of Kabul's airport.

on Sunday, a pickup truck packed with explosives blew up in front of a civilian clinic in the district of Daman in Kandahar province, killing five civilians and injuring 17 others.



Afghan forces launched their own offensives against Taliban units in rural areas.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/taliban-launches-deadly-afghanistan-attacks-1399891220

so,most died are civilians and now ANA will make their own offensive.