A Taliban attack on a Kabul guesthouse left 14 people dead, including nine foreigners, in the most audacious assault by the insurgents in the Afghan capital since the start of their spring offensive, a government official said yesterday.
Among nine foreigners killed in Wednesday’s attack, seven were men and two were women, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The full breakdown of the nationalities was not immediately known, but an American and four Indians have been confirmed dead.
Photo: EPA
Gunmen stormed the restaurant of the Park Palace Hotel in the Afghan capital as it was hosting a party for foreigners on Wednesday evening and authorities said the people were killed during an hours-long siege that ended early yesterday morning.
At least 54 hostages were rescued, according to Afghan officials.
Five Afghans were also among the dead — four men and one woman — and seven were wounded, including one Afghan policeman.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the assault, saying in a statement that it was an “atrocity.”
“Taliban statements on avoiding civilian casualties ring hollow when we set them against the latest killings,’’ UNAMA Director of Human Rights Georgette Gagnon said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an e-mail distributed to media that the hotel was targeted because of the presence of foreigners, including Americans.
In the e-mail, he said only one attacker was involved, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, a suicide vest and a pistol — not three as the Afghan government reported.
The Taliban often exaggerate their claims.
The Afghan police yesterday kept the hotel cordoned off.
Earlier, they said all the attackers were killed in a shoot-out with security troops.
The attack began at about 8:30pm when gunmen opened fire at the hotel restaurant, according to Kabul police chief General Abdul Rahman Rahimi.
US embassy spokeswoman Monica Cummings said in an e-mail statement that a US citizen was killed in the attack, although she had no further details and did not identify the person.
Cummings said the US embassy was in close contact with Afghan authorities and was working to obtain more information.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims,’’ she said.
The assault lasted about seven hours and involved explosions and sporadic bursts of gunfire.
Two Indians were also killed, while another was missing, an Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official in New Delhi said.
“According to the information we have here, two Indians are dead, one is unaccounted for and three others are safe,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said earlier in a tweet that he was “concerned about the situation & I pray for everyone’s safety.”
Kabul deputy police chief Sayed Gul Agha Rohani said the siege ended when Afghan security forces killed three assailants, but Rahimi gave a conflicting number of attackers.
“So far we have identified one attacker, but we are looking to see if there were more,” Rahimi said. “We are trying to find out the circumstances in which the attack took place. We need more investigation.”
The Park Palace was due to host a concert by classical singer Altaf Hussain, with several VIPs invited, when the gunfire started, a guesthouse employee told reporters.
The employee, who did not wish to be named, said he barricaded himself in a room in the building when the shootout began and heard several people screaming in the corridors as gunshots rang out.
He later fled the guesthouse and said he saw at least five blood-covered bodies lying near the entrance.
Rahimi, who was at the scene of the ongoing attack, had earlier said security forces faced heavy gunfire from the assailants.
Police could be seen surrounding the guesthouse yesterday morning, blocking access to the building. Inside, doors were smashed along with tables and windows, while blood stained the floors, the employee said. Other tables prepared for the concert in the front yard still had refreshments laid out.
The attack came a day after a visit to Kabul by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who assured Afghanistan of Islamabad’s full support in its battle against the Taliban.
“The enemies of Afghanistan cannot be the friends of Pakistan,” Sharif said.
His unusually strong remarks are the latest sign of a thaw in the once-frosty relationship between the two countries. Afghan officials have frequently accused longtime nemesis Pakistan of harboring and nurturing Taliban insurgents.
However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has actively courted Pakistan since coming to power in what observers say is a calculated gambit to pressure the insurgents to come to the negotiating table.
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