Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Monday 22 January 2018

Afghan forces end deadly Taliban siege at Kabul hotel

By RAHIM FAIEZ Figuera. He told The Associ-
Associated Press ated Press that his brother-
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) in-law, Adelsis Ramos, was
— Security forces said Sun- killed along with Pablo Chi-
day they had killed the ossone, and that their bod-
last of six Taliban militants ies were identified by an-
to end an overnight siege other Venezuelan pilot at a
at Kabul’s Intercontinental Kabul hospital.
Hotel that left at least 18 A citizen from Kazakhstan
people dead, including 14 also was among the dead
foreigners. Some of the 150 at the hotel, according to
guests fled the gunbattle Anuar Zhainakov, a spokes-
and fire sparked by the as- man for the Kazakh Foreign
sault by shimmying down Ministry.
bedsheets from the upper Afghan security officials
floors. confirmed that 34 provin-
The militants, who wore sui- cial officials were at the
cide vests, pinned security hotel for a conference or-
forces down for more than ganized by the Telecom-
13 hours after the attack munication Ministry.
began about 9 p.m. Satur- Afghan officials said that
day. The gunmen roamed also among the dead was
the hallways and targeted a telecommunications offi-
foreigners and Afghan of- cial from Farah province in Burn damage can be seen on the exterior of the Intercontinental Hotel after a deadly attack in
ficials inside the luxury, hill- western Afghanistan; Wa- Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018.
top hotel. heed Poyan, the newly ap- Associated Press
The more than 150 people pointed consul general to Mumtaz Ahmad, a provin- vate company had taken U.S. Secretary of State Rex
who were rescued or man- Karachi, Pakistan; and Ah- cial telecommunication over security about three Tillerson said the United
aged to escape included mad Farzan, an employee employee for Helmand weeks ago at the hotel, States strongly condemns
41 foreigners, said Interior of the High Peace Council, province, said he was walk- which is not part of the In- the attack, adding that
Ministry spokesman Najib a commission created to ing from his room to the tercontinental chain. Washington “stands with
Danish. Of those, 10 people facilitate peace talks be- reception for his group on During a news conference, the government and peo-
were injured, including six tween the Afghan govern- Saturday night. Danish said that an initial ple of Afghanistan. We re-
security forces, he said. ment and the Taliban and “When the elevator door investigation showed that main firmly committed to
Eleven of the 14 foreigners other opposition groups. opened, I saw two armed six insurgents entered the supporting Afghan efforts
killed were employees of The Taliban claimed re- suicide bombers. People hotel from the northern side to achieve peace, secu-
KamAir, a private Afghan sponsibility for the attack were escaping and the and stormed its kitchen. A rity and prosperity for their
airline, Danish said. KamAir at the heavily guarded ho- attackers were firing at person or persons inside the country.”
put out a statement saying tel that is popular among them,” he said. hotel might have helped Neighboring Pakistan also
some of its flights were dis- foreigners and Afghan of- Fire broke out in the six-story the attackers gain en- condemned the “brutal
rupted because of the at- ficials. hotel as the fighting raged, trance, Danish said, adding terrorist attack” and called
tack. Taliban spokesman Zabi- filling some guest rooms that the probe is continu- for greater cooperation
Six of those killed were hullah Mujahid said the in- with smoke. Explosions ing. against militants.
Ukrainians, said Ukrainian surgents initially planned could be heard throughout Two of the attackers were Afghanistan and Pakistan
Foreign Minister Pavlo Klim- to strike the hotel Thursday the standoff. Live TV video killed by special forces on routinely accuse each
kin, who added that his night but postponed it be- showed people trying to the 6th floor of the hotel. other of failing to combat
office was working with cause a wedding was un- escape through windows Capt. Tom Gresback, extremists on their long and
Afghan law enforcement derway there and they and from the upper sto- spokesman for NATO-led porous border.
agencies “to clarify the cir- wanted to avoid civilian ries as thick, black smoke forces, said in a statement Afghan forces have strug-
cumstances of this terrorist casualties. poured from the building. that Afghan forces had led gled to fight the Taliban
act.” The attack unfolded almost The Interior Ministry said it the response efforts and since the U.S. and NATO
Two Venezuelan pilots for six years after Taliban insur- is investigating how the at- that no foreign troops were formally concluded their
KamAir were among the gents launched a similar tackers managed to enter hurt in the attack, accord- combat mission at the end
dead, according to Luis assault on the property. the building. It said a pri- ing to initial reports. of 2014.q