KABUL — Heavily armed Taliban fighters stormed the offices of a Virginia-based nonprofit group in central Kabul on Wednesday, sparking a gunbattle with security forces that lasted several hours, witnesses said.
Officials said two Afghan civilians were killed and about 20 were hospitalized with injuries. They also said about 80 people were rescued from the four-story building occupied by Counterpart International, a U.S. government-supported group headquartered in Arlington that promotes leadership, civic engagement and elections in foreign countries.
There was no indication that any foreigners were killed or wounded. It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved and whether any survived.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said in an email that the group’s office was targeted because it was engaged in “harmful Western activities” in the country. Muhajid also said the group had “implemented a dangerous program” that promoted “open inter-mixing between men and women.”
Counterpart’s website says the group has worked in Afghanistan since 2005. It describes the nonprofit’s mission as working with local partners “to support stronger and more resilient communities by developing leaders, strengthening organizations, and fostering multi-sector community partnerships.”
