14 foreigners killed in Kabul hotel siege
TALIBAN TARGETS AFGHAN CAPITAL
AT LEAST 18 people including 14 foreigners were killed when the Taliban attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, the Interior Ministry confirmed.
Spokesman Najib Danish said 11 of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline.
He added that 10 others were wounded including six security officers and four civilians.
KamAir said flights had been disrupted because of the attack.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which began late on Saturday, saying five gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted foreigners and Afghan officials.
Mr Danish said the last attacker was killed yesterday afternoon, more than 12 hours after the attack began.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to attack the hotel on Thursday night, but postponed the assault because there was a wedding under way and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties.
The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property, which is not part of the InterContinental chain of worldwide hotels.
The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago.
The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organised by the Telecommunication Ministry. Neighbouring Pakistan condemned the “brutal terrorist attack” and called for greater cooperation against militants.