KABUL — An insurgent dressed as an Afghan soldier opened fire Monday inside the Defense Ministry, killing two soldiers in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Afghan and French defense ministers, officials said.
The attacker, who was also armed with explosives, struck the ministry before noon, ahead of a joint news conference the ministers had scheduled.
He was shot and killed by Afghan soldiers before he could detonate his explosives, said Gen. Mohammed Zahir Azimi, a Defense Ministry spokesman. Seven soldiers were wounded in the attack, Azimi said.
Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak was at the ministry at the time but was not injured, ministry officials said.
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet had not yet arrived at the time of the attack, French officials said. He was about 25 miles north of Kabul, meeting with French troops in Bagram, according to Lt. Col. Eric de Lapresle, a spokesman for French forces in Afghanistan.
Lapresle said he could not disclose where the minister was Monday afternoon or when he was scheduled to depart.
Security forces did not allow reporters inside the ministry Monday afternoon. No damage was visible from outside the front gate, where security forces had gathered in response to the attack. No NATO troops were injured or involved in responding to the attack, coalition spokesmen said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Longuet was targeted because France is among those “actively part of the invasion. The leaders of all these countries are our targets.”
