The 2013 Afghan presidential palace attack occurred on 25 June 2013, in a highly secure zone of

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, the capital city of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The attack, claimed to be carried out by the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

, occurred at the eastern gate of the presidential palace around 04:30 - 06:30 a.m. AFT, where a group of reporters were gathering for security checks ahead of a presidential news conference. Between seven and eight explosions, alleged to be Taliban suicide bombers, occurred outside the palace. The explosions were later followed by an intense exchange of gunfire between three or four Taliban fighters, and Afghan security officials, which lasted 90 minutes. Obtaining fake identification, badges and vehicle passes, five of the eight Taliban members were able to clear high-level security clearances, driving two Land Cruisers similar to those used by international soldiers to penetrate the heavily fortified security zone in

. All insurgents were killed in the ensuing battle with security forces. The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

's Afghanistan station located nearby the presidential palace was also struck by two

rocket-propelled grenades A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), also known colloquially as a rocket launcher, is a Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that launches rockets equipped with a Shaped charge, shaped-charge explosive warhead. Most RPGs can ...

during the attack. Targeting the CIA's office in the Ariana Hotel, the Taliban attacked inside one of the most heavily restricted areas of Afghanistan, in downtown Kabul where the U.S. Embassy and the headquarters of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

-led

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

are located. The headquarters of the Afghan Ministry of Defense was also targeted in the Taliban attack. With no immediate reports of civilian casualties, it remains unclear whether several Afghan schoolchildren who were caught in the crossfire between the Taliban and security forces were harmed. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was inside the palace at the time, was not injured. The attack resulted in the deaths of three palace security guards, and all eight of the Taliban fighters.

References

2013 murders in Afghanistan Suicide bombings in Kabul Mass shootings in Kabul 2013 building bombings Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2013 June 2013 in Afghanistan 2013 in Kabul 2010s crimes in Kabul Building bombings in Kabul June 2013 crimes in Asia Attacks on government buildings and structures in Afghanistan 2013 mass shootings in Asia Suicide bombings in 2013 Hotel bombings in Afghanistan Taliban bombings in Kabul Attacks on official residences {{Afghanistan-hist-stub

See also

References