Kabul Hotel Attack leaves at least 43 dead, many wounded

Najib Danish, MoI spokesman has informed that 5 floors of Intercontinental Hotel have been cleared of terrorists and over 100 guests and staff have been rescued while the 6th floor still needs to be cleared. Around 43 people have been killed and many have been wounded.

Two terrorists have also been killed.

In a major terrorist attack in Afghanistan capital Kabul, four heavily armed gunmen attacked the city’s luxury Intercontinental Hotel on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday. At least 15 people are dead, said unconfirmed sources.

The gunmen started shooting indiscriminately at guests and hotel staff. They also put the hotel building on fire, officials said. 

They were engaged by the Afghan security forces and according to the latest reports the gun battle is still on.

No organisation or individual has taken the responsibility of the attack but it is suspected that the ISIS could be behind the assault.

The attack follows a series of security warnings in recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners.

Special forces used helicopters to land on the roof of the landmark hilltop hotel during the night-time siege, interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP, adding two attackers had been killed.

The exact number of people inside the hotel is not yet known which was previously ambushed by the Taliban in 2011. The number of foreigners is also not known.

A guest hiding in a room told AFP he could hear gunfire inside the 1960s hotel where dozens of people attending an information technology conference on Sunday were staying.

"I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," said the man by telephone who did not want to be named.

"We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us." His phone was switched off when AFP tried to contact him again.

Local resident Abdul Sattar said he had spoken by phone to some of his friends who are chefs and waiters at the hotel and are trapped inside.

"Suddenly they attacked the dinner gathering... (then) they broke into the rooms, took some people hostage and they opened fire on some of them," he told AFP.

An official at Afghanistan's spy agency told AFP at the beginning of the attack that four assailants were inside the building.

They are "shooting at guests", the National Directorate of Security official said.

Rahimi said the attackers were armed with small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they stormed the hotel, which is a popular venue for weddings, conferences and political gatherings.

"Seven wounded people have been taken to hospital," Rahimi said.

"Some other guests have been rescued. We will be able to release casualty figures once the operation ends."

The fourth floor of the hotel, which boasts several restaurants and an outdoor swimming pool, had been set on fire during the raid, the NDS official said even as Afghan media is reporting multiple casualties in the attack, which comes days after a UN Security Council delegation visited Kabul for a close-up view of the conflict.

Authorities were questioning how the assailants got past the hotel's security, which was taken over by a private company two weeks ago, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.

"They probably used a back door in the kitchen to enter," he said.

Abdullah Sabet, an official at the communications and information technology ministry, said IT officials from around the country were staying at the hotel ahead of a conference to be held on Sunday.

"There were 40 of them in the hotel. We don't know if any of them have been killed or wounded," Sabet said.

Security at the Intercontinental, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain, is relatively lax compared with other luxury hotels in Kabul.

Security alerts sent in recent days to foreigners living in Kabul warned that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul as well as public gatherings and other locations where foreigners are known to congregate.

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said it was not known if any American citizens had been caught up in the attack.

According to Afghanistan media, “A number of guests and staff have been taken to a secure area by Crisis Response Unit members and Special Forces who are carrying out a clearance operation. At least 3 terrorists are still inside hotel.” 

(With AFP inputs)