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| Taliban strikes in heart of Kabul in deadly attack on elite agency | Taliban strikes in heart of Kabul in deadly attack on elite agency |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KABUL — Taliban militants attacked an elite government security agency with a suicide bomb and gunfire Tuesday, killing at least 28 people and wounding more than 320 others in one of the most devastating attacks in Kabul in years, Afghan officials said. | KABUL — Taliban militants attacked an elite government security agency with a suicide bomb and gunfire Tuesday, killing at least 28 people and wounding more than 320 others in one of the most devastating attacks in Kabul in years, Afghan officials said. |
| The target — the main training ground for an Afghan intelligence unit tasked with protecting senior officials — represented a direct strike against the Western-aided government a week after the Taliban announced its spring offensive. | |
| [Taliban vows to carry out “large-scale” attacks] | |
| The raid also was a message that the reach of fighters — and their ability to stage major coordinated attacks — appears undimmed, despite rifts within the militant group’s ranks and pressures from the rival Islamic State, as it seeks to expand its influence in Afghanistan. | The raid also was a message that the reach of fighters — and their ability to stage major coordinated attacks — appears undimmed, despite rifts within the militant group’s ranks and pressures from the rival Islamic State, as it seeks to expand its influence in Afghanistan. |
| For leaders in Kabul, meanwhile, it may shatter for now any hope for the revival of stalled peace talks with the Taliban and would put President Ashraf Ghani under growing pressure from rivals over his efforts to reach out to the Taliban. | |
| The attack ended several weeks of relative calm in the Afghan capital and marked one of the largest attacks in the city in years. | The attack ended several weeks of relative calm in the Afghan capital and marked one of the largest attacks in the city in years. |
| The attack began when a suicide bomber detonated a truck packed with explosives next to the compound, said Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid. The blast was so powerful that it shattered windows and cracked building facades up to two miles away. | |
| After the explosion shredded part of the compound, other gunmen entered the facility, touching off a three-hour gun battle less than a mile away from the presidential palace and the Ministry of Defense in a densely-populated part of the city. | |
| The Taliban claimed responsibility, even as the number of people who are dead and wounded were still being counted. | The Taliban claimed responsibility, even as the number of people who are dead and wounded were still being counted. |
| [Gallery: The aftermath of the Kabul attack] | [Gallery: The aftermath of the Kabul attack] |
| Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also just as quickly condemned the attack, saying in a statement that it was a sign that insurgents cannot defeat Afghan forces in a “face-to-face battle.” | Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also just as quickly condemned the attack, saying in a statement that it was a sign that insurgents cannot defeat Afghan forces in a “face-to-face battle.” |
| The Health Ministry said 327 people were wounded, mostly civilian passersby. A police spokesman, Basir Mujahid, said by phone that “the death toll is between 28 and 30.” | The Health Ministry said 327 people were wounded, mostly civilian passersby. A police spokesman, Basir Mujahid, said by phone that “the death toll is between 28 and 30.” |
| One worker at the intelligence agency, who goes by the single name Mehrabuddin, said he was resting on a bed when the blast struck. | |
| “I rushed out of the room and was hit by debris, bricks, shrapnel and flying glasses in the yard of the compound,” he said at Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, where he was treated for injuries to his head and stomach. | |
| He said about 50 officers were studying in a room whose ceiling was caved in by the explosion. | |
| “I do not know what happened to them,” he added. | |
| A truck of the International Committee of the Red Cross later brought medical assistance to the hospital. Volunteers rushed to donate blood. | |
| The Taliban announced the start of its spring offensive last Tuesday. Fighting has since flared around the northern city of Kunduz, Afghanistan’s fifth-largest city, but Kabul had remained relatively quiet. | The Taliban announced the start of its spring offensive last Tuesday. Fighting has since flared around the northern city of Kunduz, Afghanistan’s fifth-largest city, but Kabul had remained relatively quiet. |
| [The pull of the Taliban’s hard-line rule] | [The pull of the Taliban’s hard-line rule] |
| Kunduz fell briefly to the Taliban in September. That marked the biggest setback to Ghani’s government since forces led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ceased their combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of 2014. | Kunduz fell briefly to the Taliban in September. That marked the biggest setback to Ghani’s government since forces led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ceased their combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of 2014. |
| The coming months are seen as a critical test of the Taliban’s strength and unity. | The coming months are seen as a critical test of the Taliban’s strength and unity. |
| Last week’s announcement vowed to bring “large-scale” attacks as the weather warms. Such pronouncements have been made nearly every year since the Taliban’s rule was toppled by U.S.-led forces in 2001. | Last week’s announcement vowed to bring “large-scale” attacks as the weather warms. Such pronouncements have been made nearly every year since the Taliban’s rule was toppled by U.S.-led forces in 2001. |
| But the current backdrop introduces the Taliban to new challenges but also potential openings to expand recent gains. | But the current backdrop introduces the Taliban to new challenges but also potential openings to expand recent gains. |
| The group has been wracked by internal splits after the public acknowledgment last year of the death of its longtime leader, Mohammad Omar. Some factions favored exploring peace efforts with the Afghan government. Others, though, called for bolstered offensives to regain territory and counter moves by the Islamic State to find new footholds in Afghanistan. | The group has been wracked by internal splits after the public acknowledgment last year of the death of its longtime leader, Mohammad Omar. Some factions favored exploring peace efforts with the Afghan government. Others, though, called for bolstered offensives to regain territory and counter moves by the Islamic State to find new footholds in Afghanistan. |
| Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition withdrew all but 13,500 troops last year, leaving the Afghan military at the forefront of the fight against the militants. The Taliban, in turn, has made steady gains in southern, eastern and northern Afghanistan. | Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition withdrew all but 13,500 troops last year, leaving the Afghan military at the forefront of the fight against the militants. The Taliban, in turn, has made steady gains in southern, eastern and northern Afghanistan. |
| Tuesday’s attack in Kabul was a stinging blow to Afghan forces amid efforts to enhance security in the capital after a string of high-profile Taliban incursions. In November 2014, militants waged back-to-back suicide blasts, including one in a Kabul district that houses many embassies and foreign compounds. | Tuesday’s attack in Kabul was a stinging blow to Afghan forces amid efforts to enhance security in the capital after a string of high-profile Taliban incursions. In November 2014, militants waged back-to-back suicide blasts, including one in a Kabul district that houses many embassies and foreign compounds. |
| In a statement, the United Nations called on the Taliban to stop attacks in civilian areas. | |
| “The use of high explosives in civilian populated areas, in circumstances almost certain to cause immense suffering to civilians, may amount to war crimes,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the secretary general’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan. | |
| The U.S. military’s top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson, portrayed the attack as a sign of the insurgents’ “weakness.” | |
| “Today’s attack shows the insurgents are unable to meet Afghan forces on the battlefield and must resort to these terrorist attacks,” Nicholson said in a statement. | |
| Daniela Deane in London and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report. | Daniela Deane in London and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report. |
| Read more: | Read more: |
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| Boy “hero” targeted by Taliban | Boy “hero” targeted by Taliban |
| U.S. general: resume strikes against Taliban | U.S. general: resume strikes against Taliban |
| Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world | Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world |