Militants in Afghanistan on Wednesday attacked a facility used by the International Committee of the Red Cross, first sending a suicide bomber to blast open the gates and then storming in troops, guns blazing.
Seven foreign Red Cross workers were successfully rescued, an Afghan police officer said, in a CBS report. The attack follows one last week in Kabul against a group affiliated with the United Nations that left three dead.
“The initial reporting shows that two other people have entered the building,” said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, CBS reported. “Right now a gun battle is going on between the Afghan security forces and the attackers. We have reports of one guard of the guest house being killed as a result of the attack. From the battle, we have no reports of other casualties.”
The Red Cross confirmed the attack but did not give other details, CBS said.
“We can confirm that there has been an attack on our offices in Jalalabad. We are working to find out the whereabouts and well-being of our colleagues,” said Robin Waudo, communications coordinator for the Red Cross in Afghanistan, in the CBS report.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, and it’s still not clear why the Red Cross was targeted.
SEE ALSO: Taliban announce spring offensive: ‘The Drawn Sword of God’
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.