Bombs and Earthquakes

Gunmen, Series of Explosions Rock Kabul
Friday, February 26, 2010

KABUL —
A series of explosions rocked an area near a hotel in the heart of the Afghan capital Friday. Witnesses said suicide bombers were to blame and that gunmen opened fire at the site.
Abdul Ghafor Sayedzada, a top investigator for the Kabul police, confirmed the blasts, which woke up residents near the Kabul City Center, a nine-story shopping area that includes the Safi Landmark Hotel.
Najibullah, a 25-year-old hotel worker, said he ran out of the hotel in his underwear when he heard the first explosion. He said he saw two suicide bombers on the site.
"I saw foreigners were crying and shouting," said Najibullah, whose face and hands were covered in blood. "It was a very bad situation inside. God helped me; otherwise I would be dead. I saw one suicide bomber blowing himself up on the first floor of the hotel."
There was no official confirmation about the target of the explosions, but an official from the Interior Ministry said one suicide bomber detonated an explosive near the shopping area. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because an investigation was still under way, said more than one suicide bomber might have been involved.
The blasts occurred on Friday, the first day of the Afghan weekend when fewer people are on the streets.
A building was on fire in front of the four-star hotel, which is close to most government offices. A reporter for The Associated Press said gunmen opened fire at the site. Shattered glass covered the streets. A large plume of black smoke was seen rising from the area. Afghan police, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, moved in taking cover in the doorways of shops.
It was the first attack in the Afghan capital since Jan. 18, when teams of suicide bombers and gunmen targeted government buildings, leaving 12 dead, including seven attackers.

Attackers target hotels catering to foreigners; Taliban claims responsibility
Officials and firefighters examine the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Suicide bombers attacked in the heart of Kabul on Friday, triggering a series of explosions and gunbattles that killed at least 17 people in an area that's home to small residential hotels used by foreigners, police and witnesses said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying five suicide bombers conducted the early morning attacks on two buildings used by foreign citizens, while police said the attackers numbered at least three. Police said Indians were among those killed.
Dr. Surbod Sanjiv Paul of India stayed holed up in his bathroom for three hours inside one of the guest houses when it came under attack.
"When I was coming out, I found two or three dead bodies," Paul said later at a military hospital, where his wounded foot was bandaged. "When firing was going on, the first car bomb exploded and the full roof came on my head."
The attacks in Kabul came as thousands of U.S., Afghan and NATO soldiers were in their second week of a major offensive against a Taliban stronghold in the town of Marjah in Helmand province. More than two dozen senior and midlevel Taliban figures have been detained in Pakistan in recent weeks, suggesting that the attack in the capital could be a way for the militants to show that the insurgency remains potent.
At least 17 people were killed in Friday's attack and 32 wounded, said Abdul Ghafar Sayedzada, head of criminal investigation for the Kabul police. He said three of the dead were police officers and most of the civilians who were killed were Indians.
Taliban attacks in central Kabul kill 16
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KABUL, Feb. 26, 2010 (Reuters) — Taliban fighters opened fire, hurled grenades and staged suicide bombings in central Kabul on Friday, killing at least 16 people in defiance of the Western-backed government and a NATO offensive.

An Afghan policeman stands at the site of a blast in Kabul, February 26, 2010.
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An Italian diplomat and Indian government officials were killed in the assault, the governments said.
Also among the dead were eight Afghans, including three police officers, the Afghan Interior Ministry said. The French Foreign Ministry said one French national had been killed and India's foreign ministry said up to nine Indians were killed.
The attack came in the second week of a joint NATO-Afghan offensive against the Taliban in their stronghold in Helmand province, one of the biggest in the eight-year-old war, designed to put the Afghan government fully in control of the country.
Some 38 people were wounded in the two-hour assault which started after at least one suicide bomber blew himself up in front of a guest house frequented by Indians.
"I heard a big blast," witness Quaree Sameh told Reuters. "The glass shattered. The attackers were throwing grenades and shooting."
The blast triggered car alarms and sent plumes of smoke into the damp, cold morning air at the start of the Afghan weekend.
"I was inside my room when I heard a loud explosion and then I could not see if people were killed or wounded because I locked my door," said an Indian who gave his name as Kashif, who was staying in the guest house.
Afghan security forces wearing bullet-proof vests rushed to secure the area, which is home to Kabul's biggest shopping center, exchanging fire with the militants. Others carried out wounded Indians on their backs or stretchers.
TALIBAN CLAIMS ATTACK
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attacks on behalf of the Islamist militants.
"Our mujahideen (holy warrior) fighters managed to attack in the heart of Kabul city once again," Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.
He said at least five Taliban fighters launched the attack. Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-packed vests near the hotel and the City Center shopping mall. Three fighters were in the basement of the shopping center, he said.
The Taliban frequently attack the capital, targeting foreigners and public areas. On January 18, Taliban fighters hit multiple locations in the city including another shopping mall, killing five people and wounding 38.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attacks.
"Those who are involved and carried out inhumane and un-Islamic attacks on a holy day that is the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad are certainly enemies of Islam and Afghanistan," Karzai said.
The United States, France and Italy condemned the attack.
India said Friday's assault was the third attack on Indian interests or government officials in 20 months.
"These are the handiwork of those who are desperate to undermine the friendship between India and Afghanistan, and do not wish to see a strong, democratic and pluralistic Afghanistan," an Indian Foreign Ministry statement said. India supports Karzai and is one of Afghanistan's biggest donors. Its embassy in Kabul has been attacked twice since 2008.
After the first embassy bombing in July 2008, New Delhi said Pakistan's military spy agency, the ISI, was behind most attacks on Indians in Afghanistan to undermine Indian influence.
Pakistan fears being squeezed between India on its eastern border and a hostile Afghanistan, backed by India, on a western boundary Kabul does not recognize.
On Thursday, India and Pakistan resumed high-level talks to reduce tensions, their first since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008. The meeting ended with only an agreement to keep talking.
U.S. and other NATO-led foreign forces have pushed back against the Taliban after violence across Afghanistan last year hit its worst levels since the militants were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
(Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Bryson Hull; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Kabul bombings and gun battles leave 17 dead
Indian government officials among victims, as suicide bombers attack in the heart of Afghanistan's capital
Taliban attacks terrorise Kabul
Suicide bombers mounted attacks in the heart of Kabul today, triggering a series of explosions and gun battles that killed at least 17 people, including Indian government officials.
The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying five suicide bombers conducted the early-morning attacks on two buildings in an area that is home to small residential hotels used by foreigners. The Indian foreign ministry said as many as nine of its nationals had been killed, including government officials. An Italian diplomat was also among the victims, according to the Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini.
An Indian doctor, Surbod Sanjiv Paul, hid in his bathroom in one of the guesthouses for three hours when it came under attack.
"When I was coming out, I found two or three dead bodies," Paul said at a military hospital, where his wounded foot was bandaged. "When firing was going on, the first car bomb exploded and the full roof came on my head."
The attacks in Kabul came as thousands of US, Afghan and Nato soldiers were in the second week of a large-scale offensive against a Taliban stronghold in the town of Marjah in Helmand province.
More than two dozen senior and mid-level Taliban figures have been detained in Pakistan in recent weeks. The attack in Kabul could be a way for the militants to show that the insurgency remains potent.
At least 17 people were killed in today's attack and 32 wounded, said Abdul Ghafar Sayedzada, head of criminal investigation for the Kabul police. He said three of the dead were police officers and most of the civilians killed were Indians.
The targets were two residential hotels. A car bomb flattened the Hamid Guesthouse and assailants also attacked the nearby Park Residence, Sayedzada said. An Associated Press reporter saw police carry seven bodies from the Park Residence.
"I saw foreigners were crying and shouting," said Najibullah, a 25-year-old hotel worker who ran out into the rain-soaked street in his underwear when he heard the first explosion.
Najibullah, whose face and hands were covered in blood, said he saw two suicide bombers at the site. "It was a very bad situation inside," he said. "God helped me, otherwise I would be dead. I saw one suicide bomber blowing himself up."
The explosions woke residents near the Kabul City Centre, a nine-storey shopping area that includes the four-star Safi Landmark hotel. Witnesses said one explosion created a crater about a metre wide and windows of the Safi hotel were blown out.
A large plume of black smoke rose from the area. Shattered glass littered the streets, which were mostly empty because it was the first day of the Afghan weekend. Afghan police, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, crouched behind traffic barriers with guns ready as shots sounded from several sides.
More than two hours after the first explosion, gunfire continued to ring out around one of the guest houses. Police with gas masks were trying to smoke out a suspected attacker in the basement of the building, according to a police officer at the scene who only gave his first name, Abdulrahman.
The Canadian embassy issued a statement saying the violence would not undermine international commitment to Afghanistan.
"Attacks, such as today's bombing, will not deter Canada or its international partners from its commitment to support Afghans in their efforts to create a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society," the embassy said.
Jack Barton, an Australian aid worker, said he had been awakened by a large blast that blew in the windows of the guesthouse where he was staying and filled the room with dust.
"There was very intense street fighting outside the guesthouse compound. It happened very close by. After an hour, it slowly drifted away," he said.
It was the first attack in the Afghan capital since 18 January, when teams of suicide bombers and gunmen targeted government buildings, leaving 12 dead, including seven attackers. On 15 December a suicide car bomber struck near a hotel frequented by foreigners, killing eight people.
On 28 October, gunmen with suicide vests stormed a small residential hotel, leaving 11 dead, including five UN staff and three attackers. Earlier that month, on 8 October, a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle outside the Indian embassy, killing 17 people.
India is among the largest economic donors to Afghanistan apart from countries that have sent troops to the Nato-led mission. It is seeking regional allies and access to oil and gas-rich central Asia.
But India's growing role in the country is strongly opposed by Pakistan, which wants a friendly Afghan government without ties to its arch-rival, and by the Taliban because of Indian links to rival ethnic communities. Many of the Islamic extremist groups in the region have been fighting the Indians for years in Indian-controlled parts of Kashmir.

Sunday 28 February 2010 -- Magnitude 5.7 Quake hits Hindu Kush Region of Afghanistan

Epicenter is 110 miles NNE of Kabul Afghanistan

All is well -- keeping everything here exciting.