Morning Brief: Panic in Kabul
Top Story Kabul was thrown into panic today as gunmen attacked Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice and another government building in an apparent suicide attack. Nineteen people were killed and over 50 injured in the attack, for which the Taliban have claimed responsibility. Police have managed to kill most of the attackers, but one gunman wearing ...
Top Story
Top Story
Kabul was thrown into panic today as gunmen attacked Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice and another government building in an apparent suicide attack. Nineteen people were killed and over 50 injured in the attack, for which the Taliban have claimed responsibility.
Police have managed to kill most of the attackers, but one gunman wearing a suicide vest is still apparently holed up inside the Justice Ministry. Several children are also trapped at a kindergarten inside the building. A number of suicide bombers may still be at large throughout the city, the Taliban has warned.
The attacks come on the eve of U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke’s visit to Afghanistan. A bomb also killed six people, including a secular politician in Peshawar, as Holbrooke visited northwest Pakistan.
Middle East
Israel’s political drama appears set to continue with the centrist Kadima Party winning the most votes in yesterday’s election but lacking the support to form a coalition. President Shimon Peres must decide whether to ask Kadima’s Tzipi Livni or Likud’s Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government. Both parties are claiming victory.
An Iraqi suicide bomber killed four U.S. soldiers near Mosul.
Americas
Barack Obama and Timothy Geithner’s bailout plan will likely cost as much as than $2.5 trillion.
A shootout between police and drug traffickers in Chihuahua, Mexico, left 21 dead.
Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez is using massive government resources in his term limit referendum campaign.
Africa
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as Zimbabwe’s prime minister.
Ethiopia has arrested a suspect in the murder of a 25-year-old U.S. diplomat.
Five Somali pirates were extradited to the Netherlands for trial.
Asia and Pacific
China’s exports fell 17.5 percent in January, the biggest drop in 10 years.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has accepted responsibility for the deadly fire at its headquarters.
Arsonists have been setting new brush fires in Australia.
Europe
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia might allow the U.S. to ship weapons to Afghanistan across its territory.
The head of Azerbaijan’s air force was shot to death.
Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, the current president of the European Union, accused member states of protectionism.
World Economy
Stock markets fell around the world today due to skepticism about the U.S. bailout plan.
SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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