Brussels, 05/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 5 January, the European police mission in Kabul (Afghanistan) was targeted by an attack that has been claimed by the Taliban. Although no member of the mission was affected, the attack claimed one life and left five wounded among the Afghan civilians who were close by. “We can confirm that at 13.24 (8.24 GMT) today a EUPOL vehicle was involved in a vehicle borne suicide attack (…) in Kabul”, EUPOL stated, adding that the occupants of the vehicle had not been wounded. EUPOL said that the acting head of mission, Pia Stjernvall, was dealing with the incident and an investigation would now follow in close liaison with the Afghan National Police. This was the first major attack targeting foreigners in Kabul since the end of the NATO combat mission on 31 December.
The European police mission in Afghanistan, which began in 2007, has been extended until 31 December 2016 (see EUROPE 12221). The mission includes 250 international police officers and 200 local officers. (CG)