Twin explosions rock British council compound in Kabul

Suicide bombers have hit the British council offices in Kabul in the early hours of Afghan Independence day Two suicide bombers attacked a British compound in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least three people and wounding two, police and eyewitnesses said. An official from the British Embassy confirmed that there had been an attack against the British Council building on the west side of Kabul. He said the British Embassy was in contact with Afghan authorities at the scene. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack. The two blasts occurred in the early hours of Afghan Independence Day, marking Afghanistan’s full independence from Britain in 1919. It was unclear whether the attack was related to the anniversary. Kabul police official Farooq Asas said a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives outside the compound. At least one insurgent attacked the compound on foot, Asas said. Two Afghan policemen and a municipal worker were killed, he said. The explosions shattered glass in buildings a third of a mile from the site. There were reports of gunfire at the scene and smoke rising from the area. Afghan police said at least one other attacker got inside the compound and was exchanging gunfire with Afghan troops two hours after the initial blast. Afghan and British troops were dispatched to the scene early Friday morning and made preparations to assault the compound. The British Council focuses on education and building civil society internationally. While violence continues to rage in many parts of Afghanistan, attacks in the capital are relatively uncommon. In June, 21 people were killed at a Kabul hotel, including nine insurgents, with militants fighting Nato and Afghan troops for five hours with rocket-propelled grenades and suicide bombs. In western Afghanistan on Thursday, a roadside bomb killed at least 21 passengers travelling on a minibus. Meanwhile, in the country’s east, a suicide car bomber attacked a coalition base on Thursday, killing two Afghan security guards, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. A recent report by the United Nations said the number of Afghan civilians killed in war-related violence rose 15% in the first half of this year. The UN said 1,462 Afghan civilians lost their lives in the first six months of the year compared with 1,271 in the same period of 2010. Afghanistan guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 18, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.