Taliban siege on Kabul hotel kills 18 including 14 foreigners

A Taliban assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Afghanistan’s capital killed at least 18 people, including 14 foreigners, and pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours before the last attacker was killed on Sunday.

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry Najib Danish said that 11 of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline.

He added that 10 others were wounded including six security officers and four civilians.

People trapped at the top of the six-storey Intercontinental Hotel, which sits on a hilltop overlooking the Afghan capital and is popular with international visitors and Afghan officials, could be seen tying together bedsheets and climbing over balconies to escape the overnight siege.

One lost his grip and fell in dramatic television footage by Afghanistan's Tolo News station, which also showed black smoke and flames billowing from the top of the hotel.

The Taliban claimed the attack, which began around 9 pm Saturday, saying five gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted foreigners and Afghan officials.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the dead included a telecommunications official from the western Farah province who was attending a conference.

Officials said two of the attackers had been killed in cross fire.

Source: Telegraph