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Several people killed after gunmen attack luxury hotel in Kabul Afghan forces end Kabul hotel siege that left at least six dead
(35 minutes later)
Afghan special forces storm the building to flush out attackers and rescue staff and guests reportedly taken hostage Taliban claim responsibility for assault on Intercontinental hotel which led to 12-hour gun battle with Afghan forces
Emma Graham-Harrison, Emma Graham-Harrison,
Haroon Janjua in Peshawar, Haroon Janjua in Peshawar,
Haroon Siddique and agenciesHaroon Siddique and agencies
Sun 21 Jan 2018 05.01 GMT Sun 21 Jan 2018 10.07 GMT
First published on Sat 20 Jan 2018 18.59 GMTFirst published on Sat 20 Jan 2018 18.59 GMT
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Afghan special forces have stormed the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul to try to flush out gunmen who attacked the building, killing five people and reportedly taking hostages. Afghan special forces have killed all the gunmen who opened fire on guests at the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul, leaving at least six dead, an official said.
The Taliban claimed five of its militants, wearing suicide vests, carried out the assault which began on Saturday night and led to a 12-hour gun battle when Afghan forces stormed the building.
The interior ministry deputy spokesman, Nasrat Rahimi, told Agence France-Presse one foreigner was among the dead. “The body of the foreigner, a woman, was recovered from the sixth floor as the last attacker was being killed,” he said. About 150 people were rescued including more than 40 foreigners, he added.
As dawn broke on Sunday, thick clouds of black smoke could be seen pouring from the hotel. Several armoured US military vehicles with heavy machine guns could be seen close to the hotel along with Afghan police units.As dawn broke on Sunday, thick clouds of black smoke could be seen pouring from the hotel. Several armoured US military vehicles with heavy machine guns could be seen close to the hotel along with Afghan police units.
Television pictures also showed special forces troops manoeuvering on the roof as they conducted a floor-by-floor search of the six-storey building to find the attackers.Television pictures also showed special forces troops manoeuvering on the roof as they conducted a floor-by-floor search of the six-storey building to find the attackers.
Several people could be seen climbing over a top-floor balcony using bedsheets to escape, with one losing his grip and plunging to the ground.Several people could be seen climbing over a top-floor balcony using bedsheets to escape, with one losing his grip and plunging to the ground.
Officials said all four of the insurgents – who killed at least five people in the attack – were dead and that the security forces’ operation was now complete. The militants also took hostages from among staff and guests, and set the building ablaze. Firefighters were still battling to put out the blaze on Sunday afternoon
“Five Afghans are dead,” interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told reporters near the hotel. The militants launched the attack at about 9pm local time on Saturday, security officials said. Rahimi said they were armed with light weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.
The gang reportedly also took hostages from among staff and guests, and set the building ablaze. Danish said 100 hostages, including 16 foreigners, had been released. Afghan security officials said 34 provincial officials were at the hotel to attend a conference organised by the telecommunication ministry. The interior ministry spokesman, Najib Danish, said a telecommunications official from the western Farah province was among the dead.
The militants, including at least one suicide bomber, launched the attack at about 9pm local time on Saturday, security officials said. Aziz Tayeb, a regional director for Afghan Telecom, told AFP: “Everything became chaotic in a moment. I hid behind a pillar and I saw people who were enjoying themselves a second ago screaming and fleeing like crazy, and some of them falling down, hit by bullets.”
A witness said some foreigners were among the hotel guests but it was not clear what their nationalities were. He said he and a few friends managed to escape to the hotel’s outdoor pool area where they hid, listening to the horrifying attack metres away.
The hotel had been due to host an information technology conference on Sunday and more than 100 IT managers and engineers were onsite when the attack took place, Ahmad Waheed, an official at the telecommunications ministry, said. “I could repeatedly hear blasts one after another, hand grenades, they used many grenades,” he said.
The gunmen had entered the hotel through a kitchen door to evade heavy security at the front, local news reports said. “We contacted security officials who arrived an hour later and as we were being escorted out I saw five or six bodies outside the hotel.
“We are hiding in our rooms – I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us,” one guest told AFP at the start of the attack. “I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor.” “The second, third and fifth floors were on fire – the fifth floor was engulfed in flames.”
The gunmen had entered the hotel through a kitchen door to evade heavy security at the front, local news reports said. A hotel employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the security team fled “without a fight”. He said: “They didn’t attack. They didn’t do anything to them. They had no experience.” The interior ministry said a private security firm had assumed responsibility for protecting the hotel just three weeks earlier.
Two guests at the hotel confirmed that the militants attacked when they were eating, and that people in the dining room had attempted to flee. Ahsan Ali told the Observer: “People ran to their rooms and locked themselves in – it was a dreadful scene.”Two guests at the hotel confirmed that the militants attacked when they were eating, and that people in the dining room had attempted to flee. Ahsan Ali told the Observer: “People ran to their rooms and locked themselves in – it was a dreadful scene.”
The gunmen then broke into guest rooms, taking dozens of hostages, witnesses said.
It was the latest major blow to security in the Afghan capital, which has been reeling from a string of bloody attacks by both Taliban and Isis militants.It was the latest major blow to security in the Afghan capital, which has been reeling from a string of bloody attacks by both Taliban and Isis militants.
In May last year a huge truck bomb devastated part of the diplomatic quarter, killing about 150 people and wounding about 400 others.In May last year a huge truck bomb devastated part of the diplomatic quarter, killing about 150 people and wounding about 400 others.
The most recent major attack was on 29 December, when a suicide bomber targeted a Shia cultural centre, killing more than 40 people. The most recent major attack was on 28 December, when a suicide bomber targeted a Shia cultural centre, killing more than 40 people.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack on the Intercontinental, which came just two days after the US embassy put out a warning that militants might be planning to target hotels in the city. The attack on the Intercontinental came just two days after the US embassy put out a warning that militants might be planning to target hotels in the city.
The blaze on the top floors of the hilltop complex could be seen from across the city. Commando forces were sent in, and electricity was cut soon after the attack began, amid fears that guests had been taken hostage.The blaze on the top floors of the hilltop complex could be seen from across the city. Commando forces were sent in, and electricity was cut soon after the attack began, amid fears that guests had been taken hostage.
Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who managed to escape unhurt, told Reuters people were fleeing amid bursts of gunfire on all sides.
One of the most famous buildings in Kabul, the Intercontinental was a playground for the city’s elite when it opened in 1969, with parties around the swimming pool and weddings in its halls.One of the most famous buildings in Kabul, the Intercontinental was a playground for the city’s elite when it opened in 1969, with parties around the swimming pool and weddings in its halls.
It was later a base for foreign journalists during the civil war that followed the Russian withdrawal, then during the period of Taliban rule and the US-led invasion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on America. In 2011 was targeted by the Taliban in an attack that killed 21 people. It was later a base for foreign journalists during the civil war that followed the Russian withdrawal, then during the period of Taliban rule and the US-led invasion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on America. In 2011, it was targeted by the Taliban in an attack that killed 21 people.
AfghanistanAfghanistan
South and Central AsiaSouth and Central Asia
TalibanTaliban
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