An official with Afghanistan’s spy agency put the number of wounded at eight, while the interior ministry said six. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest assault in the war-torn Afghan capital, the interior ministry issued a statement blaming the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network. The last major attack on a high-end hotel in Kabul was in March 2014 when four teenage gunmen raided the Serena, killing nine people including AFP journalist Sardar Ahmad. The Intercontinental was previously targeted in June 2011 when a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed 21 people including 10 civilians. A hotel employee told AFP that as he fled the staff living quarters in a building next to the hotel he saw the new security guards running for their lives.

Source: Egypt Independent January 21, 2018 07:52 UTC