Militants storm top hotel in Afghan capital

FILE – The Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 25, 2016. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

ISLAMABAD — At least four gunmen attacked a hotel in Kabul late Saturday, and reports said two of the gunmen were killed and at least six other people were wounded.

Officials said Afghan commandos surrounded the Intercontinental Hotel. Witnesses earlier reported hearing gunfire from inside the building.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack.

The luxury hotel sits at the top of a Kabul hill and is heavily guarded because it has come under attack previously.

The Taliban, particularly its allied Haqqani network, is known for staging such coordinated attacks in the city, but the insurgent group had not yet said whether it was behind this violence.

Islamic State militants have taken responsibility for some recent suicide bombings in Kabul. The latest IS-plotted attack, which took place late last month, left more than 40 people dead and about 100 others wounded. The victims were mostly members of the Afghan minority Shiite community.

Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel was also the target of a suicide assault in 2011 that killed at least 20 people. The Taliban took responsibility for that attack. | via Voice of America

Popular

Palace slams Imee’s ‘baseless’ claims; PBBM unfazed by destabilizers, obstructionists

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet “Hindi mabigat ang alegasyon ni Senator Imee—walang basehan. Kuwentong walang kuwenta, kuwentong kutsero.” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains unbothered by political...

PH economy remains resilient amid various domestic issues

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet Malacañang announced on Tuesday that the country’s economy remains strong in the face of various issues that plague the administration of...

PBBM appoints new DOJ chief

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet A month after appointing former Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla as the new Ombudsman, President Ferdinand R. Marcos...

PBBM visits Tino-hit Negros Occidental

By Brian Campued As part of the administration’s commitment to supporting the recovery of communities devastated by recent calamities, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited...