Taliban attacks Kabul guesthouse, four Indians and an American among 14 killed
A senior Afghan government official said a total of 14 people were killed when Taliban attackers stormed a Kabul guesthouse on Wednesday night.
The attack started at about 9pm on Wednesday night when three gunmen launched a brazen assault at the Park Palace Guesthouse, located in the Kolola Pushta area of the Kabul city.
Soon after the gunmen stormed the guest house, Afghan National Security Forces including Special Forces arrived and began striking back the attackers and also rescuing those under siege inside the guest house.
“Four Indians have been killed in the attack,” officials sources told PTI.
There was no clarity over the overall death toll apart from the confirmation that four Indians and an American were among the dead. At least six people were also wounded in the attack.
President Ashraf Ghani’s special envoy for good governance Ahmad Zia Massoud visited the attack scene in
Kabul.
The militants attacked the guesthouse thinking the (Indian) Ambassador (Amar Sinha) was present in the compound, Massoud was quoted as saying by Khaama Press.
Massoud said the assault was likely a political attack but he did not elaborate further, according to the report.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the siege at the guesthouse which was about to host a musical concert.
When the attack took place, the musical event was due to begin and was to be attended by the Turkish and Indian guests as well Afghan nationals, an Afghan Security official was quoted as saying.
Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said security forces rescued 54 people from inside the guesthouse.
All three attackers were killed in the siege that lasted for about seven hours, ending in the wee hours of this
morning.
Amar Sinha, India’s ambassador to Afghanistan, said he believed at least six of the hostages were Indian citizens. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Twitter account said he was “concerned about the situation (and) I pray for everyone’s safety.”
Though the exact number of Indians died in the seize was not known, Indian ambassador in Kabul Amar Sinha said there are “a few Indian casualties among others at the Kabul.”
United States Embassy in Kabul confirmed the death of one of American national in the attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on a three-day visit to China, tweeted last night, “In the aircraft I got news about the attack in Kabul. Am concerned about the situation & I pray for everyone’s safety.”
Prime Minister Modi also spoke to Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and extended his condolences to him on the attack.
He also tweeted saying, “President @ashrafghani expressed sadness on the unfortunate demise of Indian citizens in the attack in Kabul.”
Kolola Pushta is home to several international guest houses and hotels and is near the Afghan interior ministry.
Today’s brazen assault was reminiscent of two attacks last year on a hotel and a restaurant in which 30 were killed.
Earlier on Thursday, gunmen opened fire at a meeting of Muslim clerics in Helmand, killing at least seven people. The Taliban, ousted from power in 2001, have stepped up attacks since they announced their “spring offensive” last month.
The attacks come a day after a visit to Kabul by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who assured Afghanistan of Islamabad’s full support in its fight against the Taliban.
Afghanistan has experienced a rise in the Taliban attacks as foreign troops plan to withdraw from the war-torn country by the end of the year.
India’s development assistance programme for Afghanistan currently stands at USD two billion, making it the leading donor nation among all regional countries.
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Source:TheIndianexpress
