More than 40 people, including 14 foreigners, have been confirmed dead, following a hotel siege which began on Saturday night in Kabul.
Eye witnesses told Reuters that five men dressed in army uniforms had entered the Intercontinental Hotel late on Saturday, shouting in Pashto: “Don’t leave any of them alive, good or bad. Shoot and kill them all.” They then opened fire on guests.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Another survivor said the attackers had deliberately targeted foreigners during the 13-hour siege. It was ended by Afghan and western special forces, who raided the hotel and killed all five insurgents. Around 160 people were rescued by Afghan troops who fought throughout the night to regain control of the building.
Kabul police have confirmed that nine Ukrainians, one German, one Greek and one Kazakh citizen are among the dead. At least two are yet to be identified.
The Taliban, which targeted the hotel in 2011, has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement quoted by AFP, the group said it had “killed tens of foreign invaders and their puppets”.
Promising an investigation into how the attackers breached security, the interior minister said the decision to transfer security to a private company two weeks ago had been a mistake, after reports emerged that guards had fled without a fight.
The Intercontinental, one of two luxury hotels in the city, is frequented by government officials and foreigners, “and was thought to be well protected”, says The Guardian.
The raid is the latest in a series of attacks in and around Kabul “that have underlined the city’s vulnerability and the ability of militants to mount high-profile operations aimed at undermining confidence in the Western-backed government”, says Reuters.
At least 150 people were killed last May when a road-side bomb was detonated outside the German embassy in the Afghan capital.
President Ashraf Ghani said militant groups were being helped by neighbouring countries, adding: “As long as the terrorist groups have secure protection and safe haven, the region will not find security and stability.”
-
Syria’s strange post-Assad electionThe Explainer Sunday’s limited vote ‘suited the phase Syria is undergoing’, says interim president
-
Why did the China spying case collapse?Today’s Big Question Unwillingness to call China an ‘enemy’ apparently scuppered espionage trial
-
Alchemised: how Harry Potter fanfic went mainstreamIn The Spotlight Traditional publishers are signing up fan fiction authors to rewrite their ‘explosively popular’ romances for the mass market
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
The Taliban wages war on high-speed internetTHE EXPLAINER A new push to cut nationwide access to the digital world is taking Afghanistan back to the isolationist extremes of decades past
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kabul braces for a waterless futureTHE EXPLAINER A confluence of manmade and environmental factors makes the Afghan city the first modern capital to risk running out of groundwater
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
