4 Americans among dead in Afghanistan hotel attack; 1 identified

Afghan security personnel stand guard as black smoke rises from the Intercontinental Hotel, Jan. 21, 2018, after an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. Gunmen stormed the hotel and set off a 12-hour gun battle with security forces that continued into Sunday morning, as frantic guests tried to escape from fourth- and fifth-floor windows. (Photo Courtesy of AP)

The U.S. State Department has confirmed that four Americans were among those killed in an attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, over the weekend. Two other U.S. citizens were injured.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert made the announcement in a statement Wednesday, but she did not identify the victims.

A spokesman for Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign official indicted in the Russia investigation, was killed during the bombing and siege of the hotel, which catered to foreigners.

Glenn Selig was in Kabul on business related to his Florida public relations firm when he became one of at least 22 people killed during a 14-hour attack that began Saturday night and stretched into Sunday, his company reported in a statement.

“Unfortunately, we have received confirmation Glenn Selig was killed during the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel,” Selig Multimedia said in a statement Wednesday. “The loss for his family and friends cannot be measured nor conveyed strongly enough, but we thank everyone for the outpouring of support we have received.”

The siege began when gunmen wearing army uniforms and suicide vests stormed the hotel kitchen. They then moved into conference halls and other floors of the building, while shooting at guests.

An Afghan Interior Ministry statement claimed the Taliban-allied Haqqani network of terrorists plotted the violence. | via Voice of America

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