KABUL, Afghanistan -- Seven heavily armed Taliban fighters launched a pre-dawn attack near Afghanistan's main airport Monday, apparently targeting NATO's airport headquarters with rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and at least one large bomb. Two Afghan civilians were wounded and all the attackers were killed after an hours-long battle.
It was the third time in a month that insurgents have launched a major attack in the Afghan capital, seeking high-profile targets to rattle public confidence as Afghan security forces take over most responsibility for protecting the country ahead of most foreign troops' withdrawal next year.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his government would not be deterred by the attack.
"These cowardly terrorist attacks on the Afghan people cannot change the chosen path of the Afghan people toward progress, development, peace and elections," Karzai said, referring to next spring's president poll to elect a new head of state.
Karzai was not in Kabul during the attack, but was visiting the Gulf state of Qatar, where he was discussing his country's stalled peace process and the possible opening of a Taliban office in Doha.
Both Afghanistan and the United States support the opening of a Taliban political office in Qatar as part of an effort to rekindle talks with the insurgent group, which has been waging war against the government and U.S.-led military coalition for nearly 12 years. But first the Taliban must renounce all ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups and accept Afghanistan's constitution.
Officials said the attackers fired into the vast, sprawling compound from outside its perimeter. The airport itself was not damaged and reopened shortly after the fighting was over, said airport chief Yaqub Rassuli.
"There was no damage to the runway. Some shrapnel fell nearby, but we have cleared it away," Rassuli said.
Police said that attackers wearing suicide vests occupied one or two buildings under construction on the west side of the airport and began firing at the NATO facility, which was quite a distance away. It was unclear whether they hit anything inside that facility.
Two Afghan civilians were wounded, but there were no deaths among either security forces or civilians, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the insurgents were targeting NATO headquarters.
The international military coalition said it was assessing the situation and had no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The U.S.-led NATO coalition's Joint Command headquarters at the airport runs the day-to-day operations of the nearly 12-year-old war against insurgents. The airport's military side is also used for the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, as the coalition is known, for transport and other aircraft.
"I have no operational reporting of any ISAF casualties or damage to ISAF casualties," said coalition spokesman German Gen. Gunter Katz.
He said that "we can expect attacks and high profile attacks," from the Taliban as part of the spring offensive announced earlier this year. He said that "despite a number of attacks in recent days" the coalition still considered that "overall the security "situation is improving."
Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said there was no damage to his country's facilities or helicopters stationed at the airport and he attributed that to the quick killing by security forces of an insurgent who was firing rocket propelled grenades at the facility.
Associated Press writer Amir Shah contributed from Kabul.
It was the third time in a month that insurgents have launched a major attack in the Afghan capital, seeking high-profile targets to rattle public confidence as Afghan security forces take over most responsibility for protecting the country ahead of most foreign troops' withdrawal next year.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his government would not be deterred by the attack.
"These cowardly terrorist attacks on the Afghan people cannot change the chosen path of the Afghan people toward progress, development, peace and elections," Karzai said, referring to next spring's president poll to elect a new head of state.
Karzai was not in Kabul during the attack, but was visiting the Gulf state of Qatar, where he was discussing his country's stalled peace process and the possible opening of a Taliban office in Doha.
Both Afghanistan and the United States support the opening of a Taliban political office in Qatar as part of an effort to rekindle talks with the insurgent group, which has been waging war against the government and U.S.-led military coalition for nearly 12 years. But first the Taliban must renounce all ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups and accept Afghanistan's constitution.
Officials said the attackers fired into the vast, sprawling compound from outside its perimeter. The airport itself was not damaged and reopened shortly after the fighting was over, said airport chief Yaqub Rassuli.
"There was no damage to the runway. Some shrapnel fell nearby, but we have cleared it away," Rassuli said.
Police said that attackers wearing suicide vests occupied one or two buildings under construction on the west side of the airport and began firing at the NATO facility, which was quite a distance away. It was unclear whether they hit anything inside that facility.
Two Afghan civilians were wounded, but there were no deaths among either security forces or civilians, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the insurgents were targeting NATO headquarters.
The international military coalition said it was assessing the situation and had no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The U.S.-led NATO coalition's Joint Command headquarters at the airport runs the day-to-day operations of the nearly 12-year-old war against insurgents. The airport's military side is also used for the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, as the coalition is known, for transport and other aircraft.
"I have no operational reporting of any ISAF casualties or damage to ISAF casualties," said coalition spokesman German Gen. Gunter Katz.
He said that "we can expect attacks and high profile attacks," from the Taliban as part of the spring offensive announced earlier this year. He said that "despite a number of attacks in recent days" the coalition still considered that "overall the security "situation is improving."
Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said there was no damage to his country's facilities or helicopters stationed at the airport and he attributed that to the quick killing by security forces of an insurgent who was firing rocket propelled grenades at the facility.
Associated Press writer Amir Shah contributed from Kabul.