How God Confounded Terrorists and Worked a Miracle at Christian Day Care Center

Mark Ellis : Apr 22, 2014
God Reports

"By the grace of God, it's really a miracle, that's all I can say." -Heidi Kuhn, Roots of Peace

(Afghanistan)—Five Taliban attackers targeted what they thought was an underground church celebrating its first anniversary in Kabul. After they blew up a car at two adjoining gates, God confused their thinking and they mistakenly entered a heavily armed compound next door. (Photo via NYTimes)

"By the grace of God, it's really a miracle, that's all I can say," Heidi Kuhn, chief executive at Roots of Peace, told the New York Times. Roots of Peace is an American contractor that runs agricultural projects financed by the USAID.

The attack began March 28th with a large suicide car bomb that blew open the gates of the Christian day care center, according to the New York Times. Then a smaller bomb blew open the gates of the Roots of Peace house, which was used as residential quarters for its staff.

The five Taliban members—armed with assault rifles and wearing suicide bomb vests—got confused, and went through the gates of the Roots of Peace facility instead of the day care center. The day care center had no guards and residents usually left the doors open.

A wild, four-hour gun battle ensued between the Taliban and security hired by Roots of Peace.

The contractors at Roots of Peace were heavily armed and ready, and had taken the precaution of blocking their front gate with an armored Land Cruiser, which guards used to take cover behind and shoot at the attackers, according to Gary Kuhn, president of Roots of Peace.

That slowed the attackers enough for the guards and the five foreign residents to retreat into the house and upstairs. "There's a circular staircase which is very hard to take cover on. One tried coming up it, and the guard shot him," Mr. Kuhn told the New York Times. (Photo via NYTimes)

Two of the American residents hid in their bedroom closets. "One very big, tall man hid in a closet and piled clothes on top of himself, while the Taliban were shooting in his room, throwing flash grenades, and even opened the closet door but didn't see him," said Heidi Kuhn.

"It's a miracle all of them escaped," she added.

Afghan officials said all five Taliban attackers were killed, including one who committed suicide. The death toll also included two Afghan civilians, one of them a young girl. Two Roots of Peace guards were wounded.

While the gun battle was underway, next door, at the day care center, police rescued 24 people, according to a government official at the scene. Journalists said there were at least five young Western children among the group, an unusual sight in Kabul.

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