At least five dead in Kabul hotel attack

KABUL — Gunmen stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul at the start of an 11-hour siege that continued into Sunday morning, leaving at least five Afghan civilian dead, officials said.

Six other civilians were reported wounded and more than 100 people, including 16 foreigners, have been rescued from the hotel, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

The bodies of four attackers were recovered as security forces continued to clear the landmark building, he said.

“The security forces are going room-by-room to make sure that there is no any other attacker in the building,” he said.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which started around 9 p.m. Saturday. As the fighting raged, a fire erupted in the building.

Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack.

The Intercontinental Hotel is located on a hilltop in Bagh-e Bala area of the city and is heavily guarded because it hosts both Afghan and foreign guests as well as official conferences. It was last attacked by insurgents in 2011.

The attack was the latest strike on a high-profile target in Kabul, deepening worries about the ability of militants to strike at the heart of Afghanistan’s leadership.

The hotel was hosting a meeting of more than 30 directors of communication and information technology companies

On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a warning about “reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul.” It gave no specifics on possible targets or how the intelligence was gathered.

Reuters News Agency, said the assailants took some hotel staff and guests as hostages.

The Washington Post contributed to this report.