CIA station attacked in Afghan capital

KABUL (AP) ― A building used by the CIA in Kabul came under attack Sunday, U.S. and Afghan officials said, the latest in a series of attacks in the Afghan capital.

Afghan authorities said gunfire was heard in the evening near the Ariana Hotel, a building that former U.S. intelligence officials said was the CIA station in Kabul. The CIA occupied the heavily secured building just blocks from the Afghan presidential palace in late 2001 after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

A U.S. official confirmed there was an attack on a facility used by American officials in Kabul.

“The situation is fluid, and the investigation is ongoing,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Officials at the U.S.-led coalition headquarters nearby said they heard the gunfire, but did not have details about the incident. All the officials in Afghanistan spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The attack came two weeks after militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles at the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other buildings, killing seven Afghans. No embassy or NATO staff members were hurt in the 22-hour assault, but accusations over who was responsible have plunged U.S. relations with Pakistan to new lows.

The top U.S. military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, last week accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency of supporting insurgents in planning and executing the Sept. 13 attack as well as a truck bomb days earlier that wounded 77 American troops.

The insurgents, from the Haqqani network, are affiliated with the Taliban and al-Qaida. The group primarily operates in eastern Afghanistan and is often blamed for attacks in Kabul.

Senior Pakistani officials have lashed out against the allegations of support for the Haqqani network, accusing the U.S. of trying to make Pakistan a scapegoat for its troubled war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan also is receiving criticism from Afghanistan.

Afghan defense officials warned Pakistan on Sunday to stop firing rockets and heavy artillery into the northeast of the country or the military will respond with force. Pakistan denied it was responsible.

In its strongest condemnation to date, the Afghan Defense Ministry accused the Pakistani army of firing more than 300 artillery rounds and rockets into Kunar and Nuristan provinces during the past five days.

The area is a haven for hardcore insurgent groups fighting in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. U.S.-led coalition forces have a light footprint in the area and the cross-border fighting highlights NATO’s struggles to pacify the remote region. It also underscores the lack of cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan against their common foes.

The ministry said an unknown number of Afghan civilians have been killed by the shelling coming from Pakistani territory. Several houses and mosques have been destroyed and hundreds of people have been displaced from their homes, the ministry said.

“Once again, the Pakistani army started firing heavy artillery and rockets over innocent Afghan people from the other side of the Durand Line,” the statement said, referring to the disputed 19th century demarcation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said he had asked security officials in the area of the reported shelling about the allegations and was waiting for a reply. He said those officials were surprised by the accusations since no activity had been reported in the area.

“I assume this is not correct news,” said Abbas, in reference to the Afghan reports.

Pakistan complained earlier this summer that militants coming from Afghanistan killed at least 55 members of its security forces and tribal police and demanded that U.S. and Afghan forces do more to stem the flow of fighters.

Afghan defense officials said that according to their forces on the ground, more than 100 rockets or mortars rained down on the two provinces Saturday night.

“It’s a clear attack on civilian residential areas,” the ministry statement said.

“The Afghan Defense Ministry is strongly condemning the attack and is giving strong warnings that such violations (of sovereignty) will have their effect on the brotherly, friendly relations of two neighboring countries,” the statement said. “There is no reason for continuing such attacks. The Pakistan government should know that Afghan National Army, with the support of the Afghan people, is ready to respond if such attacks continue.”

Pakistan is also under heavy criticism from the United States.