Community | June 28, 2011 | 2 comments

10 people reportedly killed in attack on Kabul hotel

source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/10-People-Reportedly-Killed-in-Attack-on-Luxury-Kab...

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JanforGore
.Several attackers believed to be wearing suicide vests stormed a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, late Tuesday and early reports indicate that 10 people have been killed.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group was targeting foreign guests and that heavy casualties have been inflicted. However, the Taliban often exaggerates the number of casualties in attacks against Western and Afghan government targets.

Police said a wedding party was under way when the attack occurred. They said at least one suicide bomber blew himself up inside the hotel. However, witnesses reported at least three loud explosions and gunfire inside and outside the hotel.

Police blocked off streets leading to the hotel, situated on a hill overlooking the Afghan capital and said the entire area was in darkness.

Violence has flared across Afghanistan since the Taliban announced its spring offensive and the United States is set to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the coming weeks.

In other violence Tuesday, NATO said three of its service members died in separate insurgent and bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan.

Also in the south, authorities said a roadside bomb killed two women and wounded a child in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.
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2 comments // 10 people reportedly killed in attack on Kabul hotel

  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
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    • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13947169

      At least 10 people are reported to have been killed after a top hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, came under attack by gunmen and suicide bombers.

      An official said three bombers had blown themselves up at the Intercontinental Hotel and another had been shot dead.

      Later, Nato said two of its helicopters had killed three attackers on the roof.

      Kabul's police chief told the BBC that troops had entered the hotel and that all the guests were safe.

      Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group was behind the attack.

      Officials said a meeting of provincial governors taking place at the hotel might have been the reason for it.

      The attack also came the night before the start of a conference about the gradual transition of responsibility for security from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) to Afghan security forces.

      The US condemned the attack, saying it demonstrated "the terrorists' complete disregard for human life".

      "We do not have any information about private American citizens at this time, but continue to follow up on the situation," a US state department statement said.

      'Chaos'
      The Intercontinental is one of Kabul's best-known hotels and is popular with Westerners. It is situated on a hill in the west of the city.

      The elite commando units of the Afghan National Army (ANA) have arrived at the hotel and are trying to ascertain the exact locations of all the attackers. But the operation is difficult because the hotel's grounds are sizeable and it is pitch dark.

      The Intercontinental and the other five-star hotel in the capital have been targeted by militants before, but what is unusual is the timing of this attack. They normally take place either early in the morning or in the evening, but not late at night.

      The attack comes ahead of a conference to discuss the handover of responsibility for security from Nato-led troops to Afghan forces. A senior official at the Afghan National Security Council said it was too early to jump to any conclusions about what might happen. He stressed that attacks like this happened anywhere in the world, and Afghan security forces were doing their best to put them down.

      Correspondents say it is one of the most heavily guarded hotels, with visitors required to pass through several checkpoints.
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      Timing suspicious? Security lax?

    • 11 months ago
  • JanforGore
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