Alleged Islamic State militants storm Kabul TV station

PanARMENIAN.Net - On Tuesday, November 7 morning, three gunmen believed to have affiliation with the Islamic State group, stormed the Shamshad TV station in downtown Kabul, shooting the guard before entering the main building, Al-Masdar News reports.

The IS-inspired fighters began throwing grenades inside the facility and shooting in every direction, according to Shamshad TV reporter Faisal Zaland, who escaped through a back door. Many staff members are still bogged down inside the building, local outlets reported.

Afghan security forces have the TV Station surrounded and are trying to neutralize the attack which caused Shamshad TV, a Pashto language station that broadcasts nationwide, to halt its transmission.

Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, denied that their group was responsible for the attack. Although believed to be an IS attack, Amaq Agency has not yet released a statement on the matter, likely due to the Islamic State outlet being compromised by recent Syrian and Iraqi advances.

The last major assault in Kabul was on October 21 when a suicide attacker hit a busload of Afghan army trainees, killing 15.

On October 20 a suicide bomber pretending to be a worshipper blew himself up inside a Shiite mosque in the city during evening prayers, killing 56 and wounding 55.

Earlier this month Kabul police stopped a lorry carrying 2,700 kilograms (nearly 6,000 pounds) of explosives hidden under boxes of tomatoes, averting a potentially deadly blast.