海角大神

鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire shook Kabul this morning in a predawn militant attack on Afghanistan鈥檚 international airport, which houses a NATO headquarters. Afghan forces responded to the assault quickly, putting an end to the attack four hours after it began.

The Taliban claimed responsibility via texts and e-mails during the attack, which began just after 4 a.m. All seven militants involved died 鈥� five were killed by Afghan forces and two detonated suicide bomb vests 鈥� and there were no civilian or security force casualties, reports The Wall Street Journal.

鈥淚t started just after dawn prayers and I counted about a dozen explosions, mostly RPG fire, coming from (near) the airport,鈥� a resident who lives near the airport told The Associated Press. Two buildings that were under construction and located near the airport were used by the Taliban during the attack.

Mohammad Yaqub Rasuli, the head of Kabul鈥檚 international airport, said that civilian flights were halted during the attack, but runways reopened soon after. According to the Los Angeles Times, the non-civilian side of the Kabul airport has a military wing, which hosts the Afghan Air Force, and NATO鈥檚 Joint Command headquarters.

This was the third attack in Kabul in a matter of weeks; a concentration of violence that analysts see as an attempt by the Taliban to intimidate locals in the lead up to the withdrawal of most foreign troops next year.

鈥淏y launching today's attack, the Taliban are showing they want to have a full hand at the negotiations table,鈥� Abdul Wahid Taqat, a Kabul-based military analyst, told the Los Angeles Times.

海角大神 wrote last month that after more than a decade of international aid and military support, Afghanistan is preparing for a significant change.

But today鈥檚 attack could serve as a glimmer of hope for some. Afghan police and Army units carried out the operation against the Taliban, with international forces serving only an advisory role, reports the BBC.

The New York Times notes, 鈥淭he response by Kabul鈥檚 security forces indicated that their speed and organization had improved markedly over the past few years.鈥�