2009 UN guest house attack in Kabul
Encyclopedia
The 2009 UN guest house attack happened in the early hours of October 28, 2009, in Kabul
, Afghanistan
. Three Taliban attackers stormed a guest house used by the United Nations
, killing five UN staff, two Afghan security personnel and an Afghan civilian.
, Afghanistan
that catered to foreign aid workers. According to a statement made by United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
, 25 UN staff members were there, including 17 men and women of the United Nations Development Programme
election team (UNDP/ELECT). The attack was part of the Taliban's plans to disrupt the Presidential election runoff.
Two UN security guards responded and fired pistols at the attackers, while 25 of the guests escaped out the back of the house. One UN security guard, an American from Miami named Louis Maxwell, climbed to the roof of the building to fire at the attackers. Maxwell and the other security guard, Laurance Mefful from Ghana, were able to prevent the attackers from entering the building for almost one hour. Maxwell and Mefful were then reportedly killed by the attackers, although later reports suggest Maxwell was wounded but survived the confrontation, only to be executed by Afghan policemen responding to the attack. The attackers then apparently approached the building. Two of the attackers were killed by gunfire from unknown sources and the third detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and at least two guests who had not evacuated the building.
Nearly simultaneous with the guest house attack, rockets were fired at the Afghan Presidential Palace and the Serena Hotel
, though there were no injuries in either incident.
John Christopher Turner, an American who worked for a trucking firm in Afghanistan reported that he and a Nepalese man employed their personal weapons to provide covering fire, enabling dozens of guests to escape. Turner was armed with an AK-47
, as were the attackers, who also wore explosive suicide vests.
After the attack, the UN questioned why it took Afghan police and NATO forces more than an hour to respond and come to the UN's aid. Afghan authorities denied that the police response was slow and NATO stated that no one called it to ask for help.
, Ghana
, Liberia
, the Philippines
and the United States
. The civilian was the brother-in-law of Provincial governor Gul Agha Sherzai
, who had been watching the attack and was killed by a stray bullet.
Two of the three other UN staffers killed in the attack, Lydia Wonwene of Liberia and Jossie Esto of the Philippines, were election workers. The third staffer killed worked for UNICEF.
, a regular Taliban spokesman, confirmed that the Taliban was responsible for the attacks and that it was part of a plan to disrupt the Presidential election runoff. Zabiullah asserted that the Taliban had warned those working on the election that if they continued they were to be the targets of an attack.
An Afghan government intelligence official, Amrullah Saleh
, stated that the attacks were planned and carried out by the Haqqani network
with help from Al Qaeda in Pakistan.
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Three Taliban attackers stormed a guest house used by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, killing five UN staff, two Afghan security personnel and an Afghan civilian.
Background
The Bakhtar guest house is a privately-owned, 42-room guest house in KabulKabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
that catered to foreign aid workers. According to a statement made by United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
, 25 UN staff members were there, including 17 men and women of the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
election team (UNDP/ELECT). The attack was part of the Taliban's plans to disrupt the Presidential election runoff.
Attack
According to survivors, three attackers, dressed as policemen, arrived at the compound around 5 a.m. and shot and killed two Afghan security guards at the compound's front entrance. Two of the attackers then climbed a wall and began firing rifle grenades at the guest house while the third fired a machine-gun to repel counterattacks by other security guards and police.Two UN security guards responded and fired pistols at the attackers, while 25 of the guests escaped out the back of the house. One UN security guard, an American from Miami named Louis Maxwell, climbed to the roof of the building to fire at the attackers. Maxwell and the other security guard, Laurance Mefful from Ghana, were able to prevent the attackers from entering the building for almost one hour. Maxwell and Mefful were then reportedly killed by the attackers, although later reports suggest Maxwell was wounded but survived the confrontation, only to be executed by Afghan policemen responding to the attack. The attackers then apparently approached the building. Two of the attackers were killed by gunfire from unknown sources and the third detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and at least two guests who had not evacuated the building.
Nearly simultaneous with the guest house attack, rockets were fired at the Afghan Presidential Palace and the Serena Hotel
Serena Hotel
-Overview:The Serena Hotels Group is one of 96 companies that makes up the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development , the for-profit arm of the Aga Khan Development Network . The Group trades under the name Tourism Promotion Services . The company is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange , where it...
, though there were no injuries in either incident.
John Christopher Turner, an American who worked for a trucking firm in Afghanistan reported that he and a Nepalese man employed their personal weapons to provide covering fire, enabling dozens of guests to escape. Turner was armed with an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, as were the attackers, who also wore explosive suicide vests.
After the attack, the UN questioned why it took Afghan police and NATO forces more than an hour to respond and come to the UN's aid. Afghan authorities denied that the police response was slow and NATO stated that no one called it to ask for help.
Casualties
Five UN staff, two Afghan security personnel and an Afghan civilian were killed in the attack. Nine additional UN staffers were also injured. The dead UN staff members were from EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The civilian was the brother-in-law of Provincial governor Gul Agha Sherzai
Gul Agha Sherzai
Gul Agha Sherzai is the current Governor of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan.He previously served as Governor of Kandahar province, in the early 1990s and from 2001 until 2003.-Biography:...
, who had been watching the attack and was killed by a stray bullet.
Two of the three other UN staffers killed in the attack, Lydia Wonwene of Liberia and Jossie Esto of the Philippines, were election workers. The third staffer killed worked for UNICEF.
Responsibility
Zabiullah MujahidZabiullah Mujahid
Zabiullah Mujahid is one of the self proclaimed spokesmen for the Taliban who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. He has acted as a media conduit between the isolationist rebel forces and Western media teams. He was interviewed with his back towards the TV camera in early 2009 by CNN reporter...
, a regular Taliban spokesman, confirmed that the Taliban was responsible for the attacks and that it was part of a plan to disrupt the Presidential election runoff. Zabiullah asserted that the Taliban had warned those working on the election that if they continued they were to be the targets of an attack.
An Afghan government intelligence official, Amrullah Saleh
Amrullah Saleh
Amrullah Saleh is an Afghan politician who last served as the head of the Afghan National Directorate of Security...
, stated that the attacks were planned and carried out by the Haqqani network
Haqqani network
The Haqqani Network is an insurgent group fighting against US-led NATO forces and the government of Afghanistan. Originating from Afghanistan during the mid-1970s, it was nurtured by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence during the 1980s Soviet war in...
with help from Al Qaeda in Pakistan.