Afghan troops end Taliban’s siege on Kabul hotel

A twelve hour siege by Taliban militants of a lakeside hotel on the outskirts of Kabul is now over, Afghan police said on Friday.

Heavily armed gunmen took scores of hostages at the popular hotel on Thursday just before midnight. No final information on civilian, police, or militant deaths was immediately available, police said, although they earlier said at least 10 people had been killed.

The assault underscores the potency of the Taliban even after over a decade of efforts by NATO and Afghan forces to repel them.

Insurgents attacked the Spozhmai Hotel in the Lake Qargha area on Thursday night, taking hostages and battling Afghan security forces for 12 hours.

All the attackers were killed, the interior ministry said. The number of civilian casualties is unclear.

The Taliban claimed the attack, saying the hotel was used by wealthy Afghans and foreigners for “wild parties”.

Lake Qargha is on the outskirts of Kabul and is favoured by residents of the Afghan capital for day trips and family outings.

At least three guards and one police officer were killed and dozens of people in the hotel taken hostage.

The gunmen, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns, launched the attack on the hotel late on Thursday, officials say.

“We will be very careful so that not to harm to civilians,” Kabul deputy police chief Daoud Amin added.

Some guests reportedly jumped out of hotel windows to flee from the attackers.

The security operation was led by Afghan security forces, with support from the US-led coalition.

In recent months, the Afghan army and police have taken the lead in battling some of the most challenging insurgent attacks, winning praise and a measure of support from the Afghan population.

Violence has recently increased across the country, with at least three US soldiers and about 20 Afghans killed in a series of attacks over the past seven days.

The attacks come as Nato gradually hands responsibility for security to Afghan forces, ahead of the departure of combat troops in 2014.