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AFGHANISTAN-UNREST,LEAD
At least five dead in Kabul hotel attack: Afghan spy agency
KABUL, Jan 21, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Gunmen killed at least five people and
wounded eight others in an attack on Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel, an
official said Sunday, as the eleven hours-long siege continued.
“Five are dead,” an official with the Afghan spy agency told AFP, adding
100 hostages have been released.
Afghan security forces were still trying to clear the landmark hilltop
hotel with at least one attacker on the loose, a security source said.
Dramatic images broadcast on Afghanistan’s Tolo News showed thick black
smoke and flames billowing from the top floor of the hotel.
At least one person could be seen climbing over a top-floor balcony using
bedsheets to escape, before loosing his grip and plunging to the ground.
Four gunmen burst into the hotel on Saturday night, opening fire on guests
and staff and taking dozens of people hostage, including foreigners.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest assault in
the war-torn Afghan capital that followed a series of security warnings in
recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0958 hrs