Gunmen attack airport in Afghan capital

Dead bodies of Taliban fighters lay on the ground after a clash with Afghanistan's forces, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 17, 2014. Gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, raining down rockets on the sprawling facility, setting off a gunbattle with security forces and forcing the airport to close, officials said. The attack comes during a tense time in Afghanistan, as a recount is underway from the disputed second round of a presidential election seen as key to insuring a peaceful transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of foreign troops by the end of the year. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) Dead bodies of Taliban fighters lay on the ground after a clash with Afghanistan's forces, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 17, 2014. Gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, raining down rockets on the sprawling facility, setting off a gunbattle with security forces and forcing the airport to close, officials said. The attack comes during a tense time in Afghanistan, as a recount is underway from the disputed second round of a presidential election seen as key to insuring a peaceful transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of foreign troops by the end of the year. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)

By Associated Press July 17, 2014 3 min read

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, raining down rockets, setting off a gunbattle with security forces and forcing the airport to close for hours, officials said.

The militants occupied two buildings which were under construction some 700 meters (yards) north of the facility, and were using them as a base to direct rockets and gunfire toward the airport and international jet fighters flying over Kabul, said Afghan army Gen. Afzal Aman.

Kabul Police Chief Mohammed Zahir Zahir later said four of the attackers were killed and that the attack was halted without any civilian or police casualties.

The airport was later reopened and operations returned to normal, Zahir said, after security forces inspected the runways for shrapnel and explosives.

The pre-dawn attack comes during a tense time in Afghanistan, as a recount is underway from the disputed second round of a presidential election seen as key to insuring a peaceful transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of the year.