Three bodies lay close together on the fifth-floor staircase, scene of the final stand of an 18-hour siege. Slight and dressed in shalwar kameez, without body armour or ammunition vest, one clean-shaven fighter had worn black office shoes for his role defending a half-built high-rise against Afghan and Norwegian commando units backed by Apache attack helicopters.
An unexploded rocket dangled from the half-finished concrete ceiling nearby, testament to the ferocity of the morning assault that ended the suicide mission.
The five men who had commandeered and then died in the construction site were part of perhaps the most ambitious insurgent offensive in more than a decade of war. Co-ordinated assaults on high-profile military, government and diplomatic targets in the east, west and centre of Kabul came as three other insurgent teams attacked cities in eastern Afghanistan. A total of 36 insurgents were killed during battles that ended after dawn broke on Monday.
The fighting was a reminder of the insurgent threat at a time when foreign troops are already drawing down. Combat troops are due to be home by the end of 2014. But it was also a display of the growing ability and confidence of Afghan security forces, who handled the majority of the fighting without western support.
The president, Hamid Karzai, said the attack showed a "failure" by Afghan and Nato intelligence. "The fact terrorists were able to enter Kabul and other provinces was an intelligence failure for us and especially for Nato," Karzai's office said in a statement.
The Taliban fighters kept swaths of the capital awake with rattling gunfire and loud explosions through the night, but the civilian and security forces toll was relatively low. Eight policemen and three civilians were killed, according to the interior minister, Bismillah Mohammadi. The rapid security response and the militants' choice of very well-defended targets may have played a role in limiting the number of casualties.
Among buildings that took direct and indirect fire were the US, German and British embassies, and some coalition and Afghan government buildings, a spokesman for the Nato-led coalition said.
Mohammadi said one militant arrested in the east had confessed that the fighters had ties to the Haqqani network, a ruthless Taliban-linked insurgent group based in Pakistan, and blamed for most high-profile assaults in the Afghan capital.
A Taliban spokesman said the Haqqani network had played no role in the attack. Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters that the insurgents had planned the offensives for months, creating model replicas of targeted buildings so that fighters could rehearse their attacks.
Bystanders outside the high-rise at the edge of the diplomatic district swore the fighters were Pakistani, although there was no evidence. "You can tell he was Pakistani, he is so thin," said a teenager, Najibullah, after peering into the guard cabin of a nearby compound belonging to the intelligence services, where a sixth insurgent's body was stowed.
The insurgent had been shot dead in an apparent diversionary attack that launched the fighting. As the militants drove up to the building site in an SUV, one fighter jumped down into the street and ran to attack the heavily defended gate of the National Directorate of Security complex, said Major Sayed Abdullah, a National Directorate of Security (NDS) commando who was at the gate.
He said the fighter was killed almost immediately, but the attack gave his comrades time to take up their positions. After a grenade bounced without exploding, they rammed the site gate open with their car.
Guards dropped their weapons and ran to join unarmed construction workers when they saw the militants pull up. They spent several hours cowering in the basement, and were taken into police custody, Abdullah said.
There are strong suspicions that the fighters must have stashed weapons and other supplies in the building in preparation for the attack, because their ammunition held out so long, another intelligence official said. Bullet casings were scattered throughout the building, and empty water bottles and cartons of cream lay near a grenade and a tangle of wires that soldiers warned could be a booby trap.
Hours after the attack ended, US troops with sniffer dogs checked the building for undetonated explosives, as security officials inured to violence snapped pictures of the bodies and discussed the support the fighters must have received.
2011年5月25日星期三
Best men's select shops
Seoul-based fashion journalist and photographer Hong Sukwoo is one of Seoul's undisputed style gurus: from taking the Sartorialist around town to hanging out with Simon Collins (dean of Parson's School of Fashion), he seems to only hang out with the current and future arbiters of cool.
He's pretty busy, too, with ongoing projects including collaborating with Incase on a pocket-sized magazine
Style, not trends
Hong started the first fashion blog with street snapshots in Korea back in 2006.
Of his own style, Hong says that he used to pay attention to the overall look of certain designers, but now he is more interested in collecting well-made items that are not affected by trends.
"Well-made doesn't necessarily mean expensive," says Hong, pointing to his own attire. "Right now I'm wearing a shirt from Muji, which cost around ₩30,000 and this hunting jacket from a vintage shop in Gangneung was only ₩50,000."
But not everyone has the eye of a fashion photographer, and sometimes the line between stylish and ridiculous can be quite thin. For such would-be fashion adventurers, Hong is currently writing a column in "Arena Homme."
"You can start small," says Hong. "Instead of a wardrobe make-over from shoes to watch, try a new pair of interesting socks. Or head to Uniqlo for a pair of pants that fits you better than your dad's."
He also recommends getting fashion tips from serious fashion websites.
"If you divert just five percent of your attention for the stock market and spend it on fashion, you'll be stylish in no time," he says.
Hong Sukwoo's picks
Unipair
Unipair, the first select shop in Seoul to specialize in high end men's dress shoes, boasts an impressive array of brands from the British classic Edward Green to more casual Italian maker Stokton.
Jay Kang, the store manager who knows everything there is to know about shoes, is proud to introduce Resh, Unipair's in-house shoe repair service.
“Koreans like to glue protective rubber on the leather out sole of nice shoes, but the best way to wear dress shoes is in its original form," says Kang. "Resh offers high-quality replacement leather out soles so you can wear your favorite shoes for years to come."
The store also has a Prestige Room where you can try on and order luxury shoes like Stefano Bemer and Alden. Edward Green shoes start at ₩1,500,000 and a pair of Stefano Bemer is ₩2,500,000 and up.
The tastes of the younger crowd are not neglected, as the store carries widely popular desert shoes by Stokton (₩258,000) and colorful deck shoes by the French maker Paraboot (₩ 700,000).
“Paraboot shoes are so comfortable they're called the Air Max of non-sneakers,” said Kang.
Addicted
Hong's next pick is Addicted, which celebrated its seven-year anniversary in April 2011.
“Seven years is a remarkably long period of time considering Seoul is still a hard place to manage a privately owned select shop,” says Hong.
The store specializes in introducing obscure European brands to the Seoul fashion scene.
“You might think our store is full of crazy outfits, like this bunny hat from Benstock Speirs,” says the shop's buyer Jiheh Kang. “But there are a lot of wearable items, like checkered shirts from the Swedish maker Velour and TopMan collection by TopShop.”
Addicted also carries retro color block suits by Paul Jensen, and funky KTZ sweats, two of many brands the store introduced for the first time in Korea. Prices range from ₩100,000 (graphic T-shirts by Cassette Playa) to ₩900,000 (winter jackets).
MSK shop
The last of Hong's picks is MSK, a shop hidden away in the sixth-floor attic of an office building in Apgujeong.
“We have clothes that you would want to wear every day, something comfortable," says owner Suki Min. "Only the people who really love our aesthetics come to our store."
About 70 percent of brands at MSK shop are local labels by Seoul-based designers.
“From the beginning Min wanted his shop to be an incubator and showroom for local designers,” says Hong.
Among them is Spectator by An Teok, which has shirts, chinos and jackets of classic American style. Fitbow by Chon Kyungbin is another brand of note -- its sub-label Arkestra offers relaxed yet stylish cotton jackets with handmade details for less than ₩300,000.
The store also carries little-known foreign labels such as Our Legacy from Sweden with signature waterproof jackets and colorful chino pants by a New York based label UNIS.
He's pretty busy, too, with ongoing projects including collaborating with Incase on a pocket-sized magazine
Style, not trends
Hong started the first fashion blog with street snapshots in Korea back in 2006.
Of his own style, Hong says that he used to pay attention to the overall look of certain designers, but now he is more interested in collecting well-made items that are not affected by trends.
"Well-made doesn't necessarily mean expensive," says Hong, pointing to his own attire. "Right now I'm wearing a shirt from Muji, which cost around ₩30,000 and this hunting jacket from a vintage shop in Gangneung was only ₩50,000."
But not everyone has the eye of a fashion photographer, and sometimes the line between stylish and ridiculous can be quite thin. For such would-be fashion adventurers, Hong is currently writing a column in "Arena Homme."
"You can start small," says Hong. "Instead of a wardrobe make-over from shoes to watch, try a new pair of interesting socks. Or head to Uniqlo for a pair of pants that fits you better than your dad's."
He also recommends getting fashion tips from serious fashion websites.
"If you divert just five percent of your attention for the stock market and spend it on fashion, you'll be stylish in no time," he says.
Hong Sukwoo's picks
Unipair
Unipair, the first select shop in Seoul to specialize in high end men's dress shoes, boasts an impressive array of brands from the British classic Edward Green to more casual Italian maker Stokton.
Jay Kang, the store manager who knows everything there is to know about shoes, is proud to introduce Resh, Unipair's in-house shoe repair service.
“Koreans like to glue protective rubber on the leather out sole of nice shoes, but the best way to wear dress shoes is in its original form," says Kang. "Resh offers high-quality replacement leather out soles so you can wear your favorite shoes for years to come."
The store also has a Prestige Room where you can try on and order luxury shoes like Stefano Bemer and Alden. Edward Green shoes start at ₩1,500,000 and a pair of Stefano Bemer is ₩2,500,000 and up.
The tastes of the younger crowd are not neglected, as the store carries widely popular desert shoes by Stokton (₩258,000) and colorful deck shoes by the French maker Paraboot (₩ 700,000).
“Paraboot shoes are so comfortable they're called the Air Max of non-sneakers,” said Kang.
Addicted
Hong's next pick is Addicted, which celebrated its seven-year anniversary in April 2011.
“Seven years is a remarkably long period of time considering Seoul is still a hard place to manage a privately owned select shop,” says Hong.
The store specializes in introducing obscure European brands to the Seoul fashion scene.
“You might think our store is full of crazy outfits, like this bunny hat from Benstock Speirs,” says the shop's buyer Jiheh Kang. “But there are a lot of wearable items, like checkered shirts from the Swedish maker Velour and TopMan collection by TopShop.”
Addicted also carries retro color block suits by Paul Jensen, and funky KTZ sweats, two of many brands the store introduced for the first time in Korea. Prices range from ₩100,000 (graphic T-shirts by Cassette Playa) to ₩900,000 (winter jackets).
MSK shop
The last of Hong's picks is MSK, a shop hidden away in the sixth-floor attic of an office building in Apgujeong.
“We have clothes that you would want to wear every day, something comfortable," says owner Suki Min. "Only the people who really love our aesthetics come to our store."
About 70 percent of brands at MSK shop are local labels by Seoul-based designers.
“From the beginning Min wanted his shop to be an incubator and showroom for local designers,” says Hong.
Among them is Spectator by An Teok, which has shirts, chinos and jackets of classic American style. Fitbow by Chon Kyungbin is another brand of note -- its sub-label Arkestra offers relaxed yet stylish cotton jackets with handmade details for less than ₩300,000.
The store also carries little-known foreign labels such as Our Legacy from Sweden with signature waterproof jackets and colorful chino pants by a New York based label UNIS.
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