18 Jan 2010 13:44:14 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For more on Afghanistan, click on [ID:nAFPAK])
KABUL, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Taliban gunmen launched a brazen assault on targets in the centre of Kabul on Monday, with suicide bombers blowing themselves up at several locations and heavily armed militants fighting a pitched battle in a shopping centre. [ID:nSGE60H094]
Insurgents have closed in on Kabul in the past two years, mounting bold attacks inside the city and making travel to the west, south and east of the Afghan capital dangerous for aid workers and government officials.
Following is a timeline of major attacks in Kabul since 2008:
Jan 14, 2008 - Several Taliban gunmen storm the luxury Serena hotel near the presidential palace in a commando-style attack, killing six people, including a Norwegian journalist. The Norwegian foreign minister, staying at the hotel, is unhurt.
April 27 - President Hamid Karzai survives an assassination attempt while attending a military parade close to his presidential palace. Three civilians are killed as Taliban fighters fire guns and rockets at the official celebrations.
July 7 - A suicide car bomb outside the Indian Embassy kills 58. Scores wounded in the biggest attack in the city since the war began in late 2001.
Oct 20 - Two Taliban gunmen kill a British aid worker as she walks to work, accusing her of spreading Christian propaganda.
Oct 25 - One British and one South African employee of the international courier company DHL, and an Afghan guard, are shot dead.
Oct 30 - Five people die after a suicide bomber blows himself up inside the Information Ministry, following a clash between insurgents and ministry guards. The Taliban says foreign advisers inside were the targets.
Nov 3 - Gunmen kidnap a French aid worker and shoot dead an Afghan driver who tries to stop the abduction.
Nov 27 - A suicide attack on a convoy of foreign forces near the U.S. embassy kills four civilians.
Nov 30 - A suicide car bomber kills three Afghan civilians outside the German embassy, near a key base of U.S. forces.
Feb 1, 2009 - A Taliban suicide car bomber hits a convoy of foreign troops on Kabul's western edge, wounding two Afghan civilians and slightly injuring a French soldier. [ID:nISL361465]
Feb 11 - A number of Taliban fighters, including suicide bombers, storm two government buildings, including the Justice Ministry, across from the presidential palace. More than 20 people are killed and nearly 50 wounded. [ID:nSP413197]
Aug 15 - A Taliban suicide bomber kills seven and wounds 90 in an attack outside the headquarters for the NATO-led force, near the U.S. embassy and government buildings. [ID:nISL255462]
Aug 18 - A rocket strikes the presidential palace and a second hits the city's police headquarters, two days before the presidential election. No one is hurt. [ID:nSP478244]
Aug 19 - Several Taliban gunmen, including a suicide bomber, storm a bank and clash with police just south of the presidential palace. The gunmen are killed. [ID:nSP505654]
Sept 8 - A Taliban suicide car bomber detonates his explosives at an entrance to a NATO military base inside Kabul's only airport. Several Afghans die. [ID:nSP481465]
Sept 17 - Ten Afghan civilians and six Italian soldiers die in a massive suicide car bomb attack on a road between Kabul's airport and the U.S. embassy. [ID:nISL394201]
Oct 8 - Seven Afghan civilians are killed and 45 wounded in a blast outside the Indian embassy. [ID:nISL271627]
Oct 28 - Five foreign U.N. staff are killed when militants attack an international guest house. A rocket aimed at the presidential palace hits the Serena hotel. [ID:nSP544860]
Nov 13 - A car bomb explodes near a NATO convoy outside a U.S. military base, injuring nine foreign soldiers, several civilian contractors and Afghan bystanders [nISL128056]
Dec 15 - A suicide car bomber blows up his vehicle outside a former vice president's home in the main diplomatic neighbourhood, killing eight and wounding dozens. [ID:nSGE5BE08K]
Jan 18 - Attacks on multiple locations, including shopping malls and the central bank, kill at least four security forces and one civilian, and wound 38. Security officials say at least nine of the attackers are killed.
(Editing by Paul Tait) Source: Reuters