Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul Attacked
The Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, was attacked by suicide bombers and armed marauders Tuesday. While there are still conflicting reports on casualties, according to Afghan TV, 10 had been killed. According to Al Jazeera, all the attackers were killed by security forces and NATO helicopters.
The hotel is hosting leaders set to speak on transition to Afghan control of security, with talks scheduled to start Wednesday. Normally the hotel is filled with foreign nationals, and Afghani elite, making it an enticing target for insurgents. However, its location on a hill above the city makes it relatively easy to defend. Current reports are not clear about the level of defenses the attackers had to face to get to their target, if any.
Attacks of this kind, while not common in Kabul, have been occurring throughout Afghanistan, including one in downtown Kandahar in May, and one against a Kabul Bank branch in Jalalabad in February. Al Jazeera also mentions multiple attacks in which insurgents disguised themselves as Afghan Army or Police to reach their targets, including a police station near the Presidential Palace, the national hospital, and the Defense Ministry.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for this attack, according to multiple sources, including Pakistani media. Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman for northern and eastern Afghanistan stated that they were targeting the foreigners and Afghans that were set to meet for talks about the security transition.
The battle at the hotel lasted for hours, fought primarily by Afghan security forces. In the early morning hours Wednesday, NATO forces in helicopters killed three attackers on the roof, essentially ending the siege. According to the Associated Press report, there were six attackers. Two were killed by hotel security, three by the NATO helicopters on the roof, and one either by Afghan security forces or NATO.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) tracked the situation through the night, leaving the fighting to the Afghan forces until they were called in to assist in the early morning on Wednesday. According to Maj. Tim James, a NATO spokesman, “Two ISAF helicopters circled the roof of the hotel and then identified three individuals believed to be insurgents on the roof, and the helicopters engaged the individuals with small arms. They were all wearing suicide vests and were armed and there were at least two explosions which we believe were the suicide vests detonating. Then Afghan National Security Forces who were in the hotel and were clearing the hotel worked their way onto the roof and were securing the roof.”
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