Several of us had been killed and never lower than seven wounded after four gunmen stormed Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel wearing suicide vests.
The incident unfolded at 9pm local time (four.30pm GMT) with sounds of gunfire, an explosion and experiences of armed males ‘taking pictures at company’.
Two of the attackers had been killed, with specialist forces aloof battling the others interior.
Flames engulfed the fourth floor of the resort, which sits on a hilltop and is carefully actual by security guards.
Afghan Inner Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi confirmed there had been various fatalities.
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The Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan is beneath seige after four gunmen stormed the constructing
four gunmen believed to be wearing suicide vests attacked the Intercontinental Hotel within the Afghan capital of Kabul
The incident unfolded at 9pm local time (four.30pm) with sounds of gunfire and an explosion
Armed males are pictured outdoors the posh resort as specialist forces steal on the attackers interior. Two had been shot pointless
An armed decent is pictured by an ambulance outdoors the Intercontinental resort advanced
A member of the Afghan security forces keeps peep of the siege in Kabul
He talked about: ‘Seven wounded of us had been taken to health facility.
‘Some assorted company had been rescued. We are in a position to be in a roar to free up casualty figures as soon as the operation ends.’
There became as soon as no instant claim of responsibility for the assault, essentially the latest of several in Kabul.
Unverified experiences allege not lower than 15 of us had been killed, nonetheless these own not been confirmed.
There had been foreign company amongst the resort company, nonetheless it is not tremendous whether or not they incorporated any UK residents.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Command of enterprise informed MailOnline all British embassy crew are accounted for and they also’re ‘in contact with local authorities and are monitoring the scenario carefully’.
There had been foreign company amongst the resort company, nonetheless it is not tremendous whether or not they incorporated any UK residents
Two of the attackers had been shot pointless, with specialist forces aloof battling the others interior
Native media is reporting ‘various’ casualties and resort crew and company being taken hostage
Pictured: The five-megastar Intercontinental Hotel within the Afghan capital of Kabul
Firefighters battled to construct out the blaze on the fourth floor, which has four eating locations and a swimming pool.
Security forces cleared the first and 2d flooring nonetheless aloof needed to steal on the final attackers in these above.
It is miles unclear how they managed to win past security guards, nonetheless are believed to own entered by the kitchen.
A man who escaped the assault informed Wall Boulevard Journal reporter Ehsanullah Amiri he saw ‘four pointless our bodies outdoors the resort’.
He additionally claimed the males had been shouting ‘Allah-u-Akbar’ and ‘throwing of us from windows of upper flooring’.
A customer hiding in his room talked about he would possibly perhaps hear gunfire. Electrical energy became as soon as slit out.
He informed AFP: ‘I do not know if the attackers are interior the resort nonetheless I will hear gunfire from someplace shut to the first floor.
‘We’re hiding in our rooms. I support the protection forces to rescue us as soon as capability earlier than they attain and crash us.’
The resort, one in all two major luxury resorts within town, became as soon as beforehand attacked by Taliban opponents in 2011, killing 21 of us, including 10 civilians.
The resort (pictured), one in all two major luxury resorts within town, became as soon as beforehand attacked by Taliban opponents in 2011
It is miles continually passe for events including conferences attended by authorities officials.
A convention on Afghan-Chinese language relations became as soon as held at the resort earlier as of late, attended by the Chinese language embassy’s political counsellor Zhang Zhixin.
It is miles believed an IT convention of provincial officials became as soon as taking put at the time of the assault, earlier than the males opened fireplace.
On Thursday the US embassy in Kabul issued a warning to American voters within town that ‘extremist groups is at distress of be planning an assault against accommodations in Kabul’.
Tonight an decent at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) informed ADP: ‘four attackers are interior the constructing. They are taking pictures at company.’
One other decent talked about the attackers had been armed with cramped weapons and rocket-propelled grenades after they entered the resort, which on the entire hosts weddings, conferences and political gatherings.
‘They at the 2d are on the third and fourth flooring combating with our forces. We do not know the crucial factors of casualties but nonetheless they put the kitchen on fireplace,’ Inner Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi talked about.
Mr Danish added: ‘Our special forces are within the house. The operation will soon close and the attackers will likely be killed.’
The resort, one in all two major luxury resorts within town, became as soon as beforehand attacked (pictured) by Taliban opponents in 2011, killing 21 of us, including 10 civilians.
Pictured: The Intercontinental Hotel became as soon as closing attacked by the Taliban in 2011
While it shares the identical name, the Kabul Intercontinental isn’t phase of the worldwide Intercontinental Accommodations Neighborhood (IHG) and is as an replacement roar-owned.
The resort issued an announcement after the assaults in 2011 pronouncing that ‘the resort Inter-continental in Kabul isn’t phase of IHG and has not been since 1980’.
Security within the Afghan capital has been tightened since Also can 31 closing year when a enormous truck bomb ripped by the diplomatic quarter, killing some A hundred and fifty of us and wounding spherical four hundred others – largely civilians. No group has but claimed that assault.
The Islamic Command group has claimed most of the sizzling assaults within the Afghan capital, nonetheless authorities suspect that the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Community has been focused on among the assaults.
The deadliest of the sizzling assaults came about at a Shiite cultural centre on December 29 when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing more than 40 of us.
2011 INTERCONTINENTAL KABUL HOTEL ATTACK THAT LEFT 21 DEAD
Flames engulf the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel at some level of 2011 Taliban assault
The closing assault on Kabul’s Intercontinental resort took put on June 28 2011, earlier than the withdrawal of UK and US troops from the discipline.
Between 60 and 70 company had been within the constructing at the time, in addition to 30 provincial Authorities officials who had been attending a briefing in regards to the transfer of security responsibilities from the US militia to the Afghan security forces.
After a five-hour siege, the incident became as soon as stood down, leaving 21 of us pointless.
Among the casualties had been all nine of the attackers, five resort crew, and three policemen.
Accountability became as soon as claimed by the Taliban, whose males entered the resort with assault rifles, hand grenades and machine guns at 10pm local time.
Suicide vests had been additionally detonated at the resort’s entrance and on the 2d floor.
The deadly assault left two dance halls destroyed.
Lastly the attackers acquired the fifth floor where a showdown between them and security forces ensued.
Hotel company had been informed to barricade themselves of their rooms, with others escaped by jumping from decrease stages.
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