Afghanistan forces repel IS attack on interior ministry
KABUL: Islamic State fighters, including two suicide bombers, disguised in military uniforms launched a surprise attack on the interior ministry in Kabul on Wednesday but Afghan forces repelled the assault, killing 10 attackers.
It was a rare victory for the security forces, who have struggled to secure the capital in recent months amid relentless attacks by the Taliban and the IS affiliate in Afghanistan.
According to the interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, one policeman was killed and five were wounded in the assault.
The attack began around noon when a group of 10 militants riding in two armoured vehicles tried to storm the ministry compound, Danish said.
Two of the attackers detonated their explosives, allowing eight others to pass through an outer gate at the ministry where they traded fire with security forces before they were eventually killed.
Danish said the “attackers were dressed in military uniforms” — apparently seeking to confuse Afghan security forces guarding the ministry.
Hours after the attack, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the assault in a brief statement carried by its Amaq news agency. The statement called it an “immersion attack” on the ministry.
Video footage from the scene showed that the assailants wore what appeared to be imitations of US military uniforms.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the militants managed to penetrate so close to such a highsecurity location. Last year, the interior ministry moved into a new building, surrounded by numerous security barriers and close to the Kabul international airport and several military compounds.