Afghan authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested seven men and killed an eighth who were suspected of having helped carry out an attack last month on the Justice Ministry and other government buildings in Kabul.
The coordinated Feb. 11 raids by gunmen and suicide bombers, in which 21 people were killed and more than 50 others were injured, illustrated the apparent ease with which insurgents were able to penetrate even the most heavily guarded corners of the capital. Eight attackers died as well.
The arrests were announced by Sayed Ansari, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate for Security. Ansari repeated allegations made last month by Afghan officials that the attack had involved the intelligence service of a “neighboring country,” widely assumed to be a reference to Pakistan.
Afghanistan has repeatedly accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency of helping insurgents carry out attacks on its soil. Pakistan has denied the allegations.
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Ansari said the seven suspects were rounded up in Kabul and adjoining Lowgar province, which has emerged as a major center of unrest on the capital’s doorstep. Several thousand U.S. troops from the 10th Mountain Division have been trying to restore order there.
The slain suspect was killed in Lowgar, Ansari said at a news conference. He added that the assailants were believed to have trained in Pakistan’s tribal areas and communicated with Pakistan-based handlers before and during the onslaught.
Meanwhile, NATO’s secretary general warned that existing troop commitments would not be sufficient to secure Afghanistan’s presidential election, which is scheduled for August. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters in the capital that about 4,000 extra troops — four battalions — would be needed to ensure the vote can take place peacefully.