KABUL — A Taliban attack against a popular Kabul restaurant killed 21 people, officials said Saturday, in the deadliest attack against foreign civilians since the war began nearly 13 years ago.
The dead from the assault Friday against La Taverna du Liban included 13 foreigners and eight Afghans, all civilians, in an attack that could mark a pivot point for international organizations operating in Kabul.
It came as security has been deteriorating and apprehension has been growing among Afghans over the security of their country as U.S.-led foreign forces prepare for a final withdrawal at the end of the year.
Those killed included two U.S. citizens working for the American University of Afghanistan, a victim identified by the United Nations as a Somali-American, two Britons — development specialist Dharmender Singh Phangura and close protection officer Simon Chase — two Canadians, two Lebanese, a Danish police officer, a Russian, a Malaysian and a Pakistani. Phangura, who along with the Malaysian worked as an adviser for Adam Smith International, was to run as a Labour Party candidate in upcoming elections for the European Parliament.
Also among the dead were the International Monetary Fund’s Lebanese representative, Wabel Abdallah, and Vadim Nazarov, a Russian who was the chief political affairs officer at the U.N. Mission in Afghanistan. Nazarov was one of the U.N’s most experienced officials, fluent in the country’s languages and with experience dating back to the 1980s. He was one of three U.N. victims.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The target of the attack was a restaurant frequented by high-ranking foreigners,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an e-mailed statement. He said the attack targeted a place “where the invaders used to dine with booze and liquor in the plenty.”
