Skip to main content

Afghan suicide attack on provincial courthouse kills scores


An injured Afghan army soldier is taken to hospital in Farah after a suicide squad stormed a provincial courthouse and then battled security forces for hours. Photograph: Anonymous/AP


Nine suicide attackers disguised as Afghan army soldiers stormed a provincial courthouse and then battled security forces for hours, killing 44 people and injuring over 100 more on the deadliest day for Afghan civilians in more than a year.

The assault on Wednesday in remote western Farah province, on the border with Iran, came the day the country's powerful spy chief returned home from months of medical treatment in the US to recover from a December assassination attempt that nearly claimed his life.

The suicide squad drove into the capital of Farah in an army pickup and detonated a car bomb at the entrance to the complex before rushing inside, provincial police chief Agha Noor Kimtuz told the Guardian by phone. One group took over the court and another barricaded themselves inside the office of the attorney general for an hours-long battle with the police and army.

Bodies of the dead lay in the bloodied courtyard of the complex, and a member of parliament for the province said the attackers had also herded hostages into the basement of the complex and mowed them down with assault rifles.

"When they were trying to enter they shot and killed a policeman. After that anyone that was in their way they just opened fire and killed – civilians, prosecutors, judges," said Kabul-based MP Ustad Humayra Ayoubi, who spoke to constituents in Farah by phone.

"Some of the civilian employers of both buildings were taken into the basement and shot. The majority of them were killed and some of them were wounded."

There were 10 police officers and soldiers among the dead but all the rest were civilians, said Abdul Rahman Zhwandi, a spokesman for the provincial governor. Some of them were judges, he added, but authorities were still reeling from the scale of the attack and did not have a full list of victims.

Security has been weak for years in the border province, which in 2009 was also the site of one of Nato's worst civilian casualty incidents of the war. An air strike hit village homes killing dozens of women and children, although the toll is still disputed.

Last May an insurgent assault on the Farah governor's compound used similar tactics to those deployed on Wednesday; suicide bombers in police uniform killed seven people, although the governor escaped unscathed.

The Taliban claimed the latest attack, saying it was designed to free 10 fighters who were on trial in the building, Reuters reported. Afghan officials said 15 prisoners who had been brought in for sentencing were among the dead and wounded, but it was not clear if they were part of the same group or if any Taliban prisoners were actually in the court.

The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, in a strongly-worded statement denounced the attack as a "genocide" that would not go unanswered, but did not condemn the Taliban by name.

The president, who has described the insurgent group as wayward brothers in the past, and is seeking to broker peace talks, instead said attacks on civilian targets "serve foreign evil objectives". He promised help for families of the victims and an investigation into the killings.

The Taliban are already responsible for the majority of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, according to UN data, but the direct assault on a court building sets a worrying precedent for a movement whose leadership has ordered its fighters to avoid civilian casualties.

"A great concern is that the attack appeared to be against civilian government employees, targeting judges and prosecutors, which we have not previously seen," said Georgette Gagnon, director of human rights for the UN mission in Afghanistan. The attack was among the worst in recent years, she added.

If the toll is confirmed, it would be the deadliest single attack on Afghan civilians since a bomber targeted Ashura ceremonies in Kabul at the end of 2011, killing over 50.

As the attack unfolded in western Afghanistan, Karzai was welcoming intelligence chief Asadullah Khalid back to the job after months in a US hospital, where visitors included US president Barack Obama. He had been badly wounded by a suicide bomber who concealed his explosives by wrapping them around his genitals.

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o