Reportedly intended as a “welcome” for Gen. David Petraeus, the newly appointed U.S. and NATO military chief in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters attacked the office of an American aid contractor in the northern part of the country, killing at least five people. –JCL

Al Jazeera English:

At least five people have been killed in an attack by Taliban fighters on the office of a US aid contractor in northern Afghanistan.

Armed men stormed the offices of Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) in Kunduz province early on Friday morning.

The attackers battled with Afghan police for more than five hours before police could secure the building and retrieve the bodies of the victims.

The US embassy in Kabul said that a German security guard was killed during the attack. Four other people, including two Afghan security guards, also died.

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