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Militants Storm Afghan Police Compound, Killing at Least 10 Gunfire Erupts Inside a Luxury Hotel in Kabul
(about 5 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — A series of coordinated attacks in the heart of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan left at least 10 police officers dead, including the district police chief, after suicide bombers bearing firearms stormed their headquarters early Thursday morning, officials said. KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunfire inside the luxurious Serena Hotel complex in central Kabul on Thursday night pinned down frightened guests and sent security forces scrambling to an exclusive enclave frequented by foreign officials, prominent Afghans and an array of development workers, officials and witnesses said.
The assault, which also left 14 police officers wounded, began around 5 a.m. on Thursday when a car loaded with explosives sped through the gate to the police compound. Six bombers stormed the facility after the initial blast, waging a three-hour gun battle within the compound, according to Fazal Ahmad Sherzad, the police chief of Nangarhar Province, of which Jalalabad, one of the country’s largest and most economically vibrant cities, is the capital. Attack helicopters from the American-led international coalition could be seen circling the area after the assault. The Afghan Interior Ministry said that four attackers entered the hotel disguised as visitors to one of the complex’s restaurants. Officials said they managed to smuggle pistols past the security guard, and then began firing on guests inside. There were no immediate details about casualties.
Government officials said that two of the assailants were killed before they could detonate their explosives, but that the others managed to do so within the police compound, which is near the provincial governor’s palace as well as other government offices and a United Nations facility. Initially, there were conflicting reports about who was behind the attack.
“Such attacks on our security forces will not weaken our morale,” said Attullah Lodin, the governor of Nangarhar Province. “I assure you that we continue to fight the enemies. We will do our utmost efforts to prevent such attacks from happening in the future.” A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that Taliban attackers had entered the hotel and were still fighting. Earlier, though, the Twitter feed for the National Directorate of Security, the Afghan intelligence service, reported that the battle had been sparked by a conflict between armed guests.
A facility operated by state-run Radio Television Afghanistan was also attacked, but initial reports indicated that because of the early hour of the assault, only one civilian was killed. Witnesses inside the Serena said they heard gunshots and explosions around 9 p.m., when the hotel’s restaurants would likely have been packed with well-heeled Afghans and foreigners, some of them longtime Kabul residents, others in town for the presidential election in two weeks. The police quickly put up a heavy cordon around the hotel, which is in central Kabul and within a mile of the presidential palace.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which came just weeks before the presidential election, scheduled for April 5. The Taliban have pledged to violently disrupt the voting and have issued a blanket threat to those who aid in the election effort. Another deadly assault earlier this week, in Faryab Province, killed 18 civilians, underscoring that threat. Officials there said the bombing was meant to discourage public participation in the election. The Serena has long been a popular destination for wealthy visitors to Kabul. Hotel rooms can cost upward of $300 a night, with prices soaring during times of high demand. Ahead of the elections, rooms at the Serena were fully booked through the first week in April. Concerns about security in Kabul had prompted the United Nations to move some of its staff behind the hotel’s high walls, which are guarded around the clock by dozens of security guards armed with assault weapons.
With just over two weeks left before the election, candidates have been traversing the country, holding rallies and events despite the security threat. It has also been subjected to repeated attacks by the Taliban, who more recently have threatened a heavy surge of attacks to disrupt the elections. With its expat clientele and general ambience of luxury, including a heated swimming pool and full-service spa, the hotel offers an obviously attractive target for militants, and recent security reports rated the Serena among the highest-risk locales in the city.
Early on Thursday, the Taliban claimed another major attack after a series of coordinated strikes in the city of Jalalabad left at least 10 police officers dead, including the district police chief.
The assault, which also left 14 police officers wounded, began around 5 a.m. when a car loaded with explosives sped through the gate to the police compound. Six bombers stormed the facility after the initial blast, waging a three-hour gun battle within the compound, according to Fazal Ahmad Sherzad, the police chief of Nangarhar Province, of which Jalalabad, one of the country’s largest and most economically vibrant cities, is the capital. Attack helicopters from the American-led international coalition could be seen circling the area after the assault.
Government officials said that two of the attackers were killed before they could detonate their explosives, but that the others managed to do so within the police compound, which is near the provincial governor’s palace as well as other government offices and a United Nations facility.
“Such attacks on our security forces will not weaken our morale,” said Attullah Lodin, the governor of Nangarhar. “I assure you that we continue to fight the enemies. We will do our utmost efforts to prevent such attacks from happening in the future.”
A facility operated by state-run Radio Television Afghanistan was also attacked, but initial reports indicated that because of the early hour only one civilian was killed.
Another deadly assault this week, in Faryab Province, killed 18 civilians, underscoring the Taliban’s threats to disrupt the country. Officials there said the bombing had been meant to discourage public participation in the election.