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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/20/guests-flee-as-gunmen-open-fire-in-luxury-hotel-in-kabul
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Guests flee as gunmen open fire in luxury hotel in Kabul | Guests flee as gunmen open fire in luxury hotel in Kabul |
(35 minutes later) | |
Suicide bombers thought to be among gang of up to four men targeting Intercontinental hotel | |
Reuters in Kabul | Reuters in Kabul |
Sat 20 Jan 2018 18.59 GMT | Sat 20 Jan 2018 18.59 GMT |
Last modified on Sat 20 Jan 2018 19.45 GMT | |
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A group of as many as four gunmen attacked the Intercontinental hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Saturday night, seizing hostages and exchanging shots with security forces as the building caught fire and residents and staff fled. | |
Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who managed to escaped unhurt, said the attackers had managed to get inside and people were fleeing amid bursts of gunfire on all sides, but he could say nothing about any casualties. | Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who managed to escaped unhurt, said the attackers had managed to get inside and people were fleeing amid bursts of gunfire on all sides, but he could say nothing about any casualties. |
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said details of the raid, which came days after a US embassy warning of possible attacks on hotels in the capital, were unclear, but the attackers appeared to have included suicide bombers. | Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said details of the raid, which came days after a US embassy warning of possible attacks on hotels in the capital, were unclear, but the attackers appeared to have included suicide bombers. |
According to one witness, who did not want to be quoted by name, the attackers took some hotel staff and guests hostage. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest in a long series of attacks to hit Kabul. | |
The hotel, located on a hilltop and heavily protected like most public buildings in the city, was previously attacked by Taliban fighters in 2011. It is one of Kabul’s two main luxury hotels and is used for events including conferences attended by government officials. On Thursday, the US embassy in Kabul issued a warning to US citizens, saying: “We are aware of reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul.” | |
Security remains precarious, even though the Nato-led Resolute Support mission says the Taliban has come under pressure after the US increased assistance to Afghan security forces and stepped up air strikes against the insurgents. | |
As pressure on the battlefield has increased, security officials warned that the danger of attacks on high-profile targets in Kabul and other cities would increase. | |
The hotel in Kabul is not part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), although it shares the same name. IHG issued a statement in 2011 saying that “the hotel Inter-continental in Kabul is not part of IHG and has not been since 1980”. | |
Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
South and Central Asia | South and Central Asia |
Taliban | Taliban |
news | news |
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