Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec 13: Three armed attackers are said to have been killed by security authorities, ending the senseless assassination attempt, a day after gunfire echoed around Kabul, Afghanistan, in a hotel that caters to foreign tourists.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a hotel in Kabul.
According to an IS statement, one of the two fighters started detonating explosive devices he had taped on the hotel room doors and fired at hotel guests while the other fighter tossed hand grenades at Taliban officers who were attempting to stop them.
Two tourists who appeared to be trying to flee the attack by jumping off the hotel’s balcony were hurt. Near the assaulted hotel in the Shahr-e-Naw neighbourhood, Kabul’s Emergency Hospital, managed by an Italian non-profit, reported receiving 21 casualties – 18 injured and three dead on arrival, according to Reuters.
The incident, according to the Taliban-led government, was carried out at the Longan Hotel, which frequently hosts Chinese visitors.
The attack lasted many hours, according to Khalid Zadran, the Kabul police chief’s newly chosen Taliban spokesman. He claimed there was now a ‘clean-up’ effort.
Incidentally, the attack came a day after China’s ambassador met the Afghan deputy foreign minister to discuss security-related matters and sought more attention on the protection of its embassy.