Four Taliban suicide bombers dressed as police and women attacked the main United Nations compound in western Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, but there were no casualties among UN staff. The attack with rockets, machine guns and bombers hit the UN compound in Herat, a commercial hub and the largest city in the country's west where Taliban and other insurgents are usually less active than in other areas.
Afghan forces and UN security guards at the compound repelled the insurgents. Two attackers, including a car bomber, blew themselves up at the entrance and another detonated his bomb just inside, while a fourth was shot and killed, police, government and UN officials said.
It was the highest profile attack on the United Nations since last year and will raise questions about security in a city that Nato officials believe could be among the first to see Afghan forces take responsibility for security from Nato troops.
"This was a complex attack with rockets, machine guns plus suicide bombers. The attack was repelled, they did not succeed," UN envoy to Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura told Reuters. "No UN staff were wounded," he said. Two Afghan police officers were reportedly wounded in the attack, he said. At least one of the attackers was dressed in all-encompassing burqas worn by many Afghan women and others were in local Afghan police uniforms.
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