Five foreigners killed as Taliban gunmen storm party in Kabul hotel

Five people – including an American citizen and two Indians – have been killed 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 - and at one point, two explosions were heard, with four ambulances arriving at the scene.

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, the police chief of Kabul

Although the U.S. Embassy has confirmed an American national was killed, a spokeswoman was unable to provide any further details on the victim. No groups have claimed responsibility for the attack so far, however the Taliban has conducted similar assaults on hotels and restaurants in recent months. 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 UN workers, after a popular Lebanese restaurant was targeted. There has been an increase in the number of attacks orchestrated by the group since U.S. and NATO forces officially concluded their combat mission at the end of last year.

Middle East kabul seige