Attack on US embassy in Afghan capital thwarted: NATO

KABUL - NATO-led forces killed two suspected insurgents in central Kabul Friday after receiving intelligence that the men had planned to attack the US embassy, the alliance said.

The operation was conducted by joint Afghan and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in response to a “credible threat” to the US embassy, the military said in statement.

The combined forces were attacked by small arms fire as they approached two vehicles believed to be packed with explosives, it said, adding “The force returned fire, killing two of the shooters”.

The forces detained a third suspect, who had escaped to a nearby office building after the shooting broke out, the statement said. “A large number of weapons, including the small-arms used by the men who fired on the patrol, were found during the operation.”

The incident came nearly a week after two suicide bombers attacked an army bus in the east of the city, killing five soldiers and injuring nine others. The attack was the first in six months in the capital city.