Hotel attack leaves 17 dead, 9 injured: MoI

KABUL attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel in capital Kabul, an official said on Sunday.

Najib Danish, Ministry of Interior (MoI) spokesman, told reporters here that the assault lasted at least 14 hours and that the dead included six civilians, including one foreigner. Nine people, including six policemen, were injured in the attack.

Telecommunication and Information Technology head for Farah province, Afghan consul general in Pakistan were among those killed in the attack, the second on the hotel.

According to Danish, the attackers were six who were eliminated during security forces’ clearing operation.

“Handicaps did exist that we should acknowledge, if any lapses are found it would be dealt with strictly,” he said.

But Farid Paikan, deputy head of Kam Air airlines, said their 11 staff members, including pilots and guests, had been killed in the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel and some were missing.

The Kam Air also delayed flights after some of its pilots were killed and others went missing in the attack.

Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News through an e-mail, that five Taliban gunmen stormed the Intercontinental Hotel at around 10:00pm on Saturday evening.

He claimed a large number of foreign security personnel, guests and local guests were killed during the hours-long assault. Mujahid said the attack came to an end at around 11:00am Sunday morning.

nh/ma

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