Days after the Taliban issued a statement vowing revenge for a series of executions of detained Taliban fighters by the Afghan government, Taliban forces attacked the court in the city of Ghazni, sparking a gunbattle that left 11 people dead overall.
The attack began with a suicide bomber blasting through the gate of the courthouse, with four more Taliban quickly fighting their way inside. Over the course of the battle, the four other Taliban gunmen were killed, along with a policeman and five civilian bystanders.
Ghazni police chief Aminullah Amarkhil presented the operation as a quick win for the police saying they “shot dead the other bombers in no time.” The Taliban hasn’t commented on the attack, but the fact that they hit a courthouse at all was likely the objective.
The Taliban attackers were described as wearing buraqs, with military uniforms underneath, apparently an attempt to disguise themselves as women to get to the site without attracting security attention, an attempt that was clearly successful since the first bomber hit the gate before any firing began.