KABUL: The Islamic State group claimed a pre-dawn attack on a militarycompound in Kabul on Monday that officials said has killed at least fivesoldiers and wounded 10 others.
“Islamic State fighters targeted the military academy in the city of Kabulin a suicide attack,” IS said via its propaganda arm Amaq.
At least two soldiers have been killed and 10 wounded in a fierce gunbattle with several attackers near the Marshal Fahim military academy,defence ministry spokesperson Dawlat Waziri told foreign news agency.
“An Afghan army battalion has come under attack this morning. The attackerswanted to breach the battalion,” Waziri said. “One bomber detonated himselfand another bomber was detained by our forces. Three others were killed andone other is resisting our forces.”
Officials said the attack was on an army battalion near the academy wherehigh-ranking officers are trained and which was initially identified as thetarget.
An Afghan security source said the gunmen had not managed to enter theheavily fortified compound, which is on the western outskirts of the city.
Witnesses told AFP they heard several explosions and gunfire at around 0030GMT. A foreign news agency reporter at the scene said he could “hearexplosions”. Security forces have swarmed the area and blocked the roadleading to the area where fighting is still ongoing.
An officer inside the training academy said he heard an explosion followedby an exchange of gunfire. Kabul police spokesperson Basir Mujahidconfirmed to AFP there had been rocket and gunfire.
In October a Taliban suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees as theytravelled home from the Marshal Fahim academy. There was no immediate claimof responsibility for the latest raid, which comes days after a Talibansuicide attacker driving an explosives-packed ambulance blew up in acrowded area of the city, killing and wounding hundreds.
At least 103 people were killed and 235 wounded in Saturday’s lunchtimeattack – one of the worst bombings in the city in recent years – which wasfollowed by a national day of mourning in the war-weary country.The government has blamed the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, whichAfghan and Western officials suspect of involvement in at least some of therecent attacks in the capital.
Monday’s ambush came as both the insurgents and the Islamic State grouphave escalated their attacks on Kabul, turning it into one of the deadliestplaces in Afghanistan for civilians.
On January 20, Taliban insurgents stormed Kabul’s landmark Intercontinentalhotel and killed at least 25 people, the majority foreigners, in an ordeallasting more than 12 hours. But there is still confusion over the true tollfrom that attack with conflicting figures given by officials and Afghanmedia reporting higher numbersKabul remains on high alert as the city braces for further attacks.
Security warnings sent to foreigners in recent days said IS militants wereplanning to attack supermarkets, hotels and shops frequented by foreigners.
Several foreign organisations, including humanitarian groups, arereassessing their operations after a particularly deadly week in thecountry.
IS fighters attacked Save the Children’s office in Afghanistan’s east onWednesday that officials said killed five people and wounded another 26.…Agencies