British troops called in during Taliban attack on Kabul hotel

BRITISH troops in Kabul were called in when five gunmen stormed the Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday night, killing at least 18.

The soldiers, who are on a security mission in Afghanistan’s capital, were dispatched to the hotel in heavily protected Foxhound vehicles during the attack claimed by the Taliban.

Terrified guests were seen tying bed sheets together in a bid to abseil out of the six-floor building.

One gunman was said to have shouted, ‘Where are the foreigners?’ after bursting into the hotel restaurant at around 9pm local time. Two gunmen were said to have ordered food before the attack.

The British troops assisted local forces by taking casualties to hospital. Four of the victims were Afghan, while the remaining 14 were foreigners. Kabul police told the BBC that nine Ukrainians, one German, one Greek and one Kazakh were confirmed dead. Two were yet to be identified.

The interior ministry said 11 of the foreigners killed were employees of Kam Air, a private Afghan airline.

The Taliban said five gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted foreigners and Afghan officials. The Afghan government confirmed that 34 provincial officials were at the hotel for a telecommunications conference.

It is believed the last attacker was killed yesterday afternoon after an overnight standoff with Afghan troops. Live TV footage showed black smoke and flames rising from the hilltop hotel.

An MoD spokesman said: ‘A British Army team from the Kabul Security Force assisted the Afghan forces moving casualties from the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel to a hospital at Hamid Karzai International Airport.’

Hundreds of British troops remain in the capital carrying out training and security missions, although combat troops pulled out in 2014.

‘Targeted foreigners’