Kabul Attack 'A Message to Obama,' Says The Taliban

The militant Afghani Taliban movement said in an Internet statement today that Wednesday's attack on the jJustice ministry in Kabul was a "message to Obama and all intruding Crusaders." The group pledged tocarry out more such attacks in the future.

The statement gave more details about the operation, saying that 16 men from the "al Hamza" commandoes brigade carried out the attack on the orders of Taliban leader Mullah Omar to avenge the execution of Taliban prisoners at Kabul 's Pul-e-Charkhi prison during the celebrations of the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Adha last December.

According to the statement, the attack began when a suicide bomber identified as Mullah Abdullah blew himself up at the gate of the prisons directorate in northern Kabul, thus enabling another Taliban member identified as Mullah Hafez Omar to enter the building and detonate his explosives belt into a group of army generals on the third floor.
Shortly after that, another member called Abdelfattah first opened fire on the guards positioned outside the ministry of justice, not far from the presidential palace, then carried out a suicide attack, said the statement.

Mullah Moussa Kleim, the leader of the operation, Mullah Assadullah, Hafez Muazullah and Mulawi Ahmed, all went inside the ministry, added the statement. The group claimed they were all killed after a fierce gun battle that lasted three hours, where "dozens" of Afghan security guards and ministry personnel were killed. From the 16 fighters who took part in the attack, the Taliban said eight returned safely to their base.

Finally, the Taliban also claimed that over 100 people, between ministry staff and security guards, have been killed in the operation.