Nine hurt as Taliban attack aid group’s premises in Kabul

KABUL: Taliban militants stormed a US-funded aid group´s central Kabul compound in an ongoing attack Tuesday, having targeted the organisation for promoting Western culture and the "inter-mixing" of men and women.

At least nine people were wounded in the latest attack to rock the Afghan capital, which came even as US and Taliban officials were meeting in Qatar for talks aimed at bringing an end to Afghanistan´s war.

The assault began around midday (0730 GMT) when a massive blast tore across Kabul. Interior Ministry Spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said attackers then entered the compound of Counterpart International, a non-profit group funded at least in part by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). "The police have surrounded the area and a clearing operation is ongoing," Rahimi said, later adding that in the hours following the initial blast, 169 people were rescued from the site.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Counterpart International was targeted because it promoted the "inter-mixing" of men and women.

The aid group mentored "Kabul admin workers in various aspects of brutality, oppression, terror, anti-Islamic ideology & promotion of western culture," Mujahid said on Twitter.

Counterpart was not immediately available to comment, but the group´s website says it runs a USAID-funded Afghan civic engagement programme supporting women and other marginalised groups across Afghanistan.

Emergency, an Italian-run trauma centre in Kabul, said it had received 15 patients so far. Wahidullah Mayar, the spokesman for the ministry of public health, said at least nine people had been wounded.

The huge explosion shook nearby buildings and shattered windows. "We started running out of the building and while running outside, I heard small gunfire and the sound of grenades going off nearby," said Akbar Khan Sahadat, a prosecutor in the Attorney General´s office which was close to the scene of the blast.

John Bass, the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, said he strongly condemned the attack against the US non-governmental organisation. "The targeted organisation helps local communities, trains journalists and supports the Afghan people," he said on Twitter. "For this, it is the target of senseless violence," he added, thanking local security forces for their rapid response.