KABUL: Furnished men started shooting at Monday inside an inn in focal Kabul well known with Chinese nationals in an assault that finished when something like three shooters were killed by security powers, the Taliban-run organization said.
On Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reported that two foreigners were injured while attempting to escape by jumping from the hotel balcony.
Near the attacked hotel in the Shahr-e-Naw area, Kabul’s Emergency Hospital, operated by an Italian non-profit, reported receiving 21 casualties, including 18 injured and three dead upon arrival.
According to Taliban sources, the attack took place at the Longan Hotel, where Chinese and other foreign travelers typically stay.
Recordings posted on Twitter by a writer in Kabul and checked by Reuters showed smoke surging out of one of the floors in the midst of hints of discharges, while an individual was seen attempting to get away from the assault by leaping out of an inn window.
According to Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran, the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. local time. Locals reported hearing a powerful explosion followed by gunfire.
The attack happened one day after the Chinese ambassador met with the Afghan deputy foreign minister to talk about security issues and ask for more attention to be paid to protecting the country’s embassy.
The attack occurred near a Chinese guesthouse, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency, and the Chinese embassy in Kabul was closely monitoring the situation.
A request for comment from Reuters was not received by the embassy.
In recent months, Afghanistan has seen a number of bombings, including an attack on the Pakistani embassy earlier this month and a suicide bombing in September near the Russian embassy. Daesh made the claims for both attacks.
Following the withdrawal of foreign forces led by the United States in August 2021, the Taliban declared that they are focused on securing the country.
