Officials claim seven-hour gunfight left three attackers dead. PHOTO: AFP
The UN mission in Kabul said the attack on the Park Palace hotel killed 14 civilians and injured several others.
Reports suggest that four Indians, an American, an Italian and a British-Afghan dual national were also among those killed in the overnight siege on the hotel, which was about to host a performance by a well-known Afghan classical singer Altaf Hussain.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the seven-hour assault, which triggered explosions and bursts of gunfire. It came as Afghan forces face their first fighting season against the insurgents without the full support of the US-led foreign combat troops.
Munir said two other Pakistanis suffered minor injuries. “The slain Pakistanis were identified as Ismail Awan from Sargodha who worked as an adviser in an Afghan power supply company and Abdul Sattar from Charsadda who was a finance manager for an Afghan construction company.”
Six people of other nationalities were also wounded in the attack on the guesthouse in the Klola Poshta area, officials said.
Afghanistan’s Tolo TV quoted Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi as saying early Thursday morning that insurgents stormed the hotel at about 9pm local time (9:30pm PKT) on Wednesday, resulting in a seven-hour face-off with the Afghan security forces. Officials said three attackers were killed in the gunfight.
Denying the Afghan security officials’ claim that three bombers were involved in the attack, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said there was only one bomber.
The Taliban said the attack was carried out by a single gunman and “planned carefully to target the party which important people and Americans were attending”.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 15th, 2015.
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