Holding the Compound Line During a Six Hour Siege

The British Council compound in Kabul after the 2011 attack. (Digital Illustration: GoBeyondLocal)

Holding the Compound Line During a Six Hour Siege

At 5:40 in the morning, an explosives-laden vehicle reached the front gate of the British Council compound in Kabul.

The blast tore through the entrance and damaged the defensive barriers separating the compound from the street.

Armed attackers followed through the opening.

The compound had been built around layers of protection. Concrete walls surrounded the site, while the entrance used a double-gate system designed to create an additional barrier between the street and the people inside.

Private security personnel from G4S guarded the facility. The force included Gurkha guards and Afghan guards.

The first explosion destroyed much of the entrance before the guards could keep the attackers outside.

Gunfire spread through the compound as the attackers moved farther inside.

The guards returned fire while people working at the British Council tried to reach protected areas.

Two female teachers were taken towards a safe room by a British G4S security guard. One teacher was British and the other was South African.

The safe room sat inside the compound behind a heavy metal door. Its walls and construction were intended to give people inside time while an outside rescue force dealt with an attack.

The three people reached the room while fighting continued elsewhere in the building.

At the British Embassy across Kabul, Ambassador William Patey and senior staff moved into a control room and established communication with the people inside the safe room.

Outside the compound, Afghan security forces moved towards the site. British troops established a cordon around the area, while an Afghan Crisis Response Unit prepared to enter.

A New Zealand Special Air Service team also moved towards the compound.

The rescue effort faced a delay as different Afghan security units disputed control over the operation. The Afghan commando team reached the area early, yet its movement into the compound was held up for several hours.

Inside the safe room, the two teachers and the security guard waited behind the reinforced door.

They could communicate with embassy officials by phone. The people inside also prepared a way for rescuers to identify them when the room was reached.

Outside, the attackers occupied defensive positions inside the compound and continued firing.

At about 10 in the morning, the Afghan Crisis Response Unit moved into the assault. New Zealand SAS personnel joined the operation.

The first attempt to enter through the damaged main gate met heavy fire. An armoured vehicle came under attack, and one Afghan commando died during the fighting.

The rescue force adopted another route into the compound.

New Zealand commandos moved towards the rear of the compound and created an opening through a wall. Afghan commandos used the new route to enter from an adjoining building.

Gunfire continued from positions inside the compound. Afghan and New Zealand snipers took positions in surrounding buildings and provided cover for the troops moving through the site.

The safe room came under direct threat during the fighting. Attackers used grenades against its reinforced door in attempts to force their way inside.

The door held.

The two teachers and the security guard remained inside while the rescue teams fought through the compound.

Fire spread through part of the building as the operation continued. The rescue team decided to move the people inside the safe room before the fighting had completely ended.

The two teachers were taken out of the building and moved away from the compound.

Three other British Council workers later escaped from another part of the site after rescuers created an opening through a wall.

The fighting continued after the British Council workers had been removed.

One New Zealand SAS soldier, Corporal Douglas Grant, was shot while moving along the edge of the compound. He later died from his wounds.

Several Afghan security personnel also died during the assault, while other guards and commandos were wounded.

At midday, gunfire and explosions were still coming from inside the compound.

Armoured vehicles occupied the surrounding streets while helicopters moved above the area. Troops continued clearing the buildings as at least one attacker remained inside.

The operation had already lasted for several hours.

At about 2 in the afternoon, the British ambassador declared the operation over and said the insurgents had all been killed.