Taliban launch deadly attack on Kabul guesthouse
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Version 0 of 1. At least 14 people were killed in a Taliban attack on a Kabul guesthouse on Wednesday night – the most audacious assault by the insurgents in the Afghan capital since the start of their spring offensive. Afghan officials said three men armed with AK-47 rifles made their way into the Park Palace guesthouse in the Kolola Pushta neighbourhood shortly after 8pm, as the venue hosted a party for foreigners. The Taliban claimed that only one gunman was involved. An hours-long standoff with Afghan security forces followed, ending early on Thursday morning. The full breakdown of the nationalities of those killed is not yet known, but five Afghans, four Indians, an American, an Italian and a dual British-Afghan national have been confirmed dead. Security forces rescued more than 50 people who were attending the party. The attack happened during a celebration that featured a performance by the Indian singer Altaf Hussain. According to witnesses there were many Indian and Turkish nationals among the guests, alongside Afghan foreign ministry officials. Ahmad Zia Massoud, a former vice-president, told local media that he believed the Taliban gunmen had meant to target the Indian ambassador, whom they had mistakenly thought was at the gathering. During the day, before the attack, the Park Palace had hosted a training conference for local and international NGO workers. According to a participant they had all left by the time of the attack. The hotel is located near a UN compound, where security protocols were put into force. In the past UN workers had been allowed to stay there. The guesthouse is still popular with foreigners, especially Indian nationals. During the attack the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, tweeted: “Am concerned about the situation and I pray for everyone’s safety.” US embassy spokeswoman Monica Cummings said a US citizen was killed in the attack, adding that the embassy was in contact with Afghan authorities and was working to obtain more information. Amar Sinha, India’s ambassador to Afghanistan, confirmed that four Indian nationals were among the dead. In Rome, the foreign ministry said one of the dead was Italian, according to the ANSA news agency. The British embassy in Kabul issued a statement saying that a dual British-Afghan national was also killed. Canada’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Caitlin Workman, said all staff at the Canadian embassy were “safe and accounted for”. Afghan security forces initially advanced on the Park Palace with great caution to avoid civilian losses, according to source close to the response unit. Hasib Sadiqi, a spokesman for the intelligence agency, NDS, said that as security forces entered the building, it was not known whether the Taliban gunmen were wearing suicide vests. Sporadic gunfire could be heard for several hours after a final clearing operation was announced shortly after 10pm. The was one large explosion after midnight. At least five ambulances were present at the scene. Hashmat Habib, a 72-year-old retired businessman who managed to flee, said: “I was sitting in a yard with some guests of the hotel when the shooting started. So I went upstairs and tried to find out where the shooting was coming from.” Habib said he lived in California but had been coming to the hotel since 2002, so he knew the place well. While on the way to a vacant hotel wing, he said, he came across an Afghan family of four whom he helped escape. On Thursday the Taliban said they carried out the attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an email distributed to media that the group had targeted the hotel because of the presence of foreigners including Americans. Mujahid said only one attacker was involved, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, a suicide vest and a pistol, not three as the Afghan government reported. Last year, suicide bombers killed 21 people at a popular Lebanese restaurant in Kabul, and nine people were killed a few months later when teenage gunmen stormed the luxury Serena hotel. In December, a suicide bomber killed a German national and wounded several others when he blew himself up during a performance at a French cultural centre. The Taliban have been escalating attacks across the country as part of their spring offensive, which has seen the insurgents gain ground in several provinces. Earlier on Wednesday, Taliban gunmen killed seven people at a religious gathering in the southern Helmand province. |