KABUL—The Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on a foreign guesthouse in western Kabul Saturday, the latest in a string of bombings and gunbattles in the Afghan capital.
Security officials from Kabul police district 6 confirmed a blast took place Saturday afternoon in Karte Seh, a neighborhood in western Kabul.
Heavily armed police quick-reaction forces rushed to the scene. Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said gunmen had entered the guesthouse and were and exchanging fire with security forces.
In a text message, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said attackers were assaulting a “center of intelligence and preaching of Christianity,” and claimed many inside the compound were killed.
Saturday’s attack follows an hourslong assault Thursday in the heart of Kabul’s diplomatic quarter. The Taliban have vowed to press attacks on foreign targets in what they describe as a bid to drive out U.S. and international forces.
—Ehsanullah Amiri and Habib Khan Totakhil contributed to this article.
Write to Nathan Hodge at nathan.hodge@wsj.com
Eyewitnesses claim the motor rider was riding at top speed
The life of a motor rider came to a sudden end when he veered into the lane of a tipper truck yesterday and was crushed in the process.
The accident scene
The accident scene
The deceased, who has been identified as Moses Agbodeke and believed to be in his 40s, died instantly when he ran into the truck at about 11:30 am. The accident happened around Green Valley, Sokode, along the Ho-Accra road.
Moses had the portion from his waist down decapitated with the intestines and other organs scattered on the road. The police had to use shovel to collect some severed parts of the deceased’s body.
Eyewitnesses claim the motor rider was riding at top speed when the accident occurred. An eyewitness, Kekeli Addo, told DAILY GUIDE that the man was returning from Ho to Kpeve on his motorbike with registration number, 1954-11 VR while the tipper truck with registration number VR 18-10, was conveying sand from Sokode to Ho.
He explained that he was on his farm when he heard a large bang which made him rush to the roadside to ascertain what was happening. Kekeli Addo said to his utter dismay, he saw the mutilated body of the motor rider on the road with blood all over, while the motorbike, which was mangled beyond repairs, was stuck under the truck.
The visibly disturbed driver who immediately went to report the incident to the police, returned with some personnel to assess the accident.
Personnel from the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Volta Regional Police Command have since begun investigation into the accident. They posited that the claim by some eyewitnesses that the motor rider was on phone when the accident happened was yet to be substantiated.
The mortal remains of Moses Agbodeke had been conveyed to the Ho Municipal Hospital for autopsy.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (freduoo@gmail.com)
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