Guests at the 177-room Serena, a luxury Kabul hotel were attacked by militants sporting suicide vests, grenades and AK-47 rifles earlier today. Six people in the hotel were killed during the attack.
January 15, 2008...2:24 am
Six Dead In Hotel Attack In Kabul
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The target of the attack appears to have been the Norwegian foreign minister. He was not harmed during the incident. An American was among the dead as well as a Norwegian journalist.
The attacks took place in the hotel’s gym and spa where foreigners were relaxing and working out. A guest interviewed from the scene stated that she saw a pool of blood and a dead body in the lobby of the hotel.
Six hotel guest were killed and an additional six were injured. One attacker was also shot to death and another appeared to have blown himself up.
Suzanne Griffin, a Seattle resident who works with the aid agency Save the Children, said she was in the gym’s locker room when the attack started.
“Thank God I didn’t get into the shower because then we heard gunfire, a lot of it. It was very close, close enough that plaster came off the ceiling,” said Griffin, her voice shaking. “We all just sat on the floor and got as far as we could from any glass and huddled on the floor. We turned our phones on silent.”
Griffin was in contact with the U.S. Embassy during the attack. The Embassy instructed her not to open the door unless she heard an American voice. The U.S. military evacuated her.
According to Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman four militants entered the hotel wearing suicide vests. One of those denoted himself while the other three threw hand grenades and fired their rifles. This claim has not been verified.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said it unclear who was responsible for the attack.
“It underscores the reason we have to stay on the offense against the extremists in places like Kabul but also in other places around the world,” she said.
She said U.S. and NATO forces were waging a strong stand.
“But we’re in for a long, hard fight. These are deliberate, patient people who will murder innocents, including our own people.”
The target of the attack Norway’s Foreign Minster Jonas Gahr Stoere was in the basement at the time.
“I don’t think anyone could experience this without feeling you are in a serious situation,” Stoere said on the TV-2 television network.
“Our security guards undertook an armed evacuation, where we went from corner to corner in the cellar until we reached a safe area,” he told Norwegian reporters.
Journalist Carsten Thomassen, 39 was killed during the attack. He worked for the Oslo newspaper Dagbladet.
The Serena was recently built to host foreign embassies for meetings, parties and dinners. It is considered to be the nicest hotel in downtown Kabul.
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