10 Killed in Taliban Attack in Formerly Peaceful Afghan City of Mazar-i-Sharif

April 9, 2015

Taliban Attack in Northern Afghanistan Leaves at Least 10 Dead

Mujib Mashal, New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — Assailants armed with heavy weapons and suicide vests stormed the provincial prosecutor’s office Thursday in one of the most peaceful cities in northern Afghanistan, battling security forces for more than six hours and leaving at least 10 people dead and dozens wounded.

The attack took place in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh Province, which has long been seen as a model of economic prosperity and stability. The Taliban claimed responsibility for what was the latest in a string of bloody assaults ahead of what is expected to be an intense fighting season.

The penetration of such a highly secure area raised concerns over what is expected to be the most bloody fighting season in more than a decade of war. The Taliban typically escalate their attacks in the summer.

Mazar-i-Sharif, a bustling city presided over by the provincial governor, Atta Mohammad Noor, has been spared the bloodshed of most large cities across the country. Police officials often bragged not about the number of security forces they commanded, but about how few they needed to secure the city, one of Afghanistan’s largest and most prosperous.

The roughly 13,000 remaining members of the international coalition, down from a peak of nearly 130,000, have been largely reduced to a training and support mission. That has left Afghan forces severely challenged, evidence of which emerged in a steady stream of attacks in the last week.