American among dead in Taliban attack on Kabul hotel

At least five foreigners, including one American, are dead after gunmen stormed a hotel and took more than 50 people hostage in the Afghan capital of Kabul. The siege, which lasted for five hours, unfolded at the Park Palace Hotel in Kolala Pushta, as dozens of foreigners attended a party. Reports say as many as 11 people have died. Six others were wounded, and the rest of the victims have been rescued by security forces. Sporadic gunfire was heard reverberating around the building as the assault continued well into the evening. At one point, two explosions were heard.

The attack did not start with an explosion at the main gate or the killing of guards — whatever it was, it started from inside the hotel.

Abdul Rahman Rahimi, Kabul’s police chief

Although the U.S. Embassy has confirmed that an American national was killed, a spokeswoman was unable to provide further details on the victim.The Afghan Taliban on Thursday claimed responsibility for the attack on the popular hotel. Last year Taliban fighters killed nine people, three of them children, at another upmarket hotel in the city. Two months earlier, 21 people died, including three U.N. workers, after a popular Lebanese restaurant was targeted. The number of attacks orchestrated by the group has increased since U.S. and NATO forces officially concluded their combat mission at the end of last year.