Taliban launch ‘spring offensive' with Kabul blitz

Kabul: Afghanistan's Taliban said they launched a spring offensive yesterday with multiple attacks against western embassies in the central diplomatic area and at parliament in Kabul, with heavy explosions, rockets and gunfire rattling the city.

The attack took place hours after dozens of militants stormed a prison in neighbouring Pakistan in the dead of night and freed nearly 400 inmates, including one on death row for trying to assassinate former president Pervez Musharraf.

Pakistan's Taliban movement, which is close to Al Qaida, said it was behind the brazen assault by militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles.

Ehsan Allah Ehsan, spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group said: "We attacked the Bannu prison and got our special members freed. In a couple of days when all of them have reached their designated places we will issue details about them. At the moment I cannot give you exact numbers."

Haqqani link

The assault in Afghanistan, one of the most serious on the capital since US-backed Afghan forces removed the Taliban from power in 2001, highlighted the ability of militants to strike the heavily guarded diplomatic zone even after more than 10 years of war.

"These attacks are the beginning of the spring offensive and we had planned them for months," Taliban spokesman Zabih Allah Mujahid said. Heavy fighting erupted again more than five hours after the Taliban first struck, as dusk was falling over the capital and as mosques were issuing calls to prayer. The Taliban said the main targets were the German and British embassies and the headquarters of Afghanistan's Nato-led force. Several Afghan members of parliament joined security forces in repelling attackers from a roof near the parliament.

The Interior Ministry said that initial intelligence on the wave of attacks across the country pointed to involvement of the Haqqani network. The Taliban said in a statement that "tens of fighters", armed with heavy and light weapons, and some wearing suicide-bomb vests, were involved.

Kabul police said that three suicide bombers were killed and two were still resisting at the outskirts of the capital.

In Washington, US Ambassador to Kabul Ryan Crocker said the ability of Afghan security forces to respond to a wave of coordinated attacks yesterday across Afghanistan was a "clear sign of progress."

"We've seen a very professional performance by Afghan security forces," Crocker told CNN yesterday after militants launched their attacks.

— with inputs from AFP