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Car Bomb Explodes Outside Afghan Agency Car Bomb Explodes Outside Afghan Agency
(about 9 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — Suicide bombers riding in minivans struck the headquarters of the Afghan intelligence agency on Wednesday, detonating a powerful car bomb and raising questions about how insurgents could pull off such a bold attack in one of the most heavily guarded areas of the city. KABUL, Afghanistan — Heavily armed Taliban attackers in minivans packed with explosives struck the headquarters of the Afghan intelligence agency on Wednesday, detonating one of the vehicles in one of the most secure parts of Kabul and escalating a growing conflict between the two entities.
The explosion went off around noon at one of the gates of the agency, the National Directorate of Security, and could be heard for miles around the site. The attack, which was followed by sporadic gunfire, is believed to have claimed several lives and left dozens injured, though officials did not immediately confirm any numbers. Injured victims were seen staggering down the street, many covered in blood. The explosion went off around noon near one of the gates at the headquarters, killing one agent and wounding at least 30 civilians, some of whom could be seen staggering down the street, covered in blood. A second vehicle, filled with explosives and five gunmen, was stopped by guards, who killed the insurgents and managed to defuse the bomb three minutes before it was set to detonate, officials said.
Sadiq Sadiqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said six insurgents mounted the attack from minibuses. A single insurgent in the first bus detonated it in front of the agency’s gate. The second vehicle, which contained five armed fighters, was stopped by guards at the gate before it could be detonated, and all the insurgents were killed, Mr. Sadiqi said. The bombing was the latest salvo in a pitched battle between the Taliban and the Afghan intelligence agency, officially named the National Directorate of Security.
The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack. Over the past two days, Taliban fighters have claimed responsibility for the deaths of four of the agency’s guards across the country. On Wednesday, in addition to the attack in Kabul, two agency guards died while trying to defuse a roadside bomb in Tarinkot, the capital of Oruzgan Province. And on Tuesday, an agency guard was gunned down there by attackers on a motorcycle.
“We targeted a very important N.D.S. installation in Kabul in the heart of the city, while foreign advisers where there,” Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said from an undisclosed location. The recent wave of attacks follows the attempted assassination last month of the Afghan intelligence chief, Asadullah Khalid, the architect of the agency’s intense crackdown on militants over the past few months. Mr. Khalid, who survived the suicide attack with serious injuries, was flown to the United States for treatment.
The attack came as coalition forces speed up the pace of handing over security to Afghan forces. The United States has promised to withdraw its combat forces by 2014, a deadline that has left many Afghans worried about the security situation. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s assault and promised to continue targeting the intelligence agency, describing the assault as a tit-for-tat. “The N.D.S. had been targeting our mujahedeen everywhere in the country,” Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said by telephone. “We would prefer to target it all the time.”
Wednesday’s bombing underscored those fears, though the government highlighted its quick response to the attack and its success at preventing the second suicide team from claiming more lives. While Kabul, the capital, is considered safer than the south and east of the country, bombings and attacks from insurgents aimed at undermining confidence in the government’s ability to defend itself have been a familiar reality here.
While Kabul is considered far safer than elsewhere in the south and east of the country, attacks aimed at undermining confidence in the government’s ability to defend itself have been a familiar reality here. “We are still faced with threats and terrorism, but what is important for us is to show our abilities to deal with such threats and problems,” said Sidiq Sidiqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. “Afghans were their victims today.”
The site of the blast is near the road leading to the Interior Ministry building and several embassies and government agencies. The explosion, which ripped glass and metal from buildings as far as 150 yards away, left a chaotic scene on a snowy afternoon. Security officers scrambled to seal off the scene and within a half-hour had everything locked down, but the cordon also kept Afghan police officers from getting near the site.
After the attack, security officers patrolled the abandoned street in front of the intelligence agency. The area was sealed half an hour after the blast, with security officers preventing almost everyone — including Afghan police officers — from getting near the site. The intelligence agency showed the contents of the second vehicle, which was lined with a gel-based explosive that the government said it had never seen before. Five assault rifles, more than 40 grenades and at least 30 banana clips of ammunition were laid out on a tarp beside the vehicle.
The blast sent glass and metal spewing out onto the sidewalk from nearby computer and stationery stores, with damage as far as 150 yards from the site of the explosion. Officials claimed the attack as a victory of sorts, having stopped the second vehicle and killed its occupants in six minutes. But the attack rattled those in the neighborhood.
Qais Noori, 19, a shopkeeper, said the blast all but destroyed the small shop where he works. Mohammad Zaki, 15, was in his shop nearby when the bomb went off. He bore the evidence of the blast on his face, where a stream of blood had dried over his left eye.
“I was in the shop when suddenly I heard a massive explosion and the roof collapsed,” he said, blood covering the left side of his face. “The owner told us all to go home.” “What else would I feel but insecure?” the boy asked. “Who are these attackers, and why are they killing innocent people?”
Mohammad Zaqi, 15, was also in his shop when the bomb went off.

Sangar Rahimi and Jawad Sukhanyar contributed reporting from Kabul, and Taimoor Shah from Kandahar, Afghanistan.

“What else would I feel but insecure?” he asked, a stream of dried blood over his eye. “Who are these attackers and why are they killing innocent people?”

Sangar Rahimi contributed reporting.