2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack
| 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Location | Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Date | January 14, 2008 (UTC+4:30) |
| Target | Senior foreign military officers |
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Attack type
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Suicide attack |
| Deaths | 6 |
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Non-fatal injuries
|
6 |
| Perpetrators | Taliban |
The 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack was an attack on the gym of the Kabul Serena Hotel, in Kabul, Afghanistan on January 14, 2008 for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.
A Norwegian delegation under Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was staying at the hotel at the time of the attack. The attack claimed six lives, including Norwegian journalist Carsten Thomassen. Six others were also injured.
The Kabul Serena Hotel is a five star hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, designed by the Montreal-based Group Arcop Architects and since its reopening in 2005 has been used by international media crews and politicians. The Hotel also houses the Australian embassy in Afghanistan.
At 6:30 pm local time, three men disguised in police uniforms created a distraction while a fourth man entered the hotel compound to detonate his suicide vest. Taliban spokesman Zadihullah Mujahid claimed that the militants had been armed with AK-47 automatic rifles, hand grenades and explosive jackets. After a car bomb had detonated outside the hotel, the militants began firing around inside the compound. According to a NATO spokesman, one of the compound guards managed to kill one of the militants before they entered the hotel.
Two of the militants threw hand grenades at the guards outside, then entered the hotel complex itself. As they entered the hotel, one of the militants detonated a suicide vest, while at least one other, who was wearing an Afghan police uniform, began firing an AK-47.
The Norwegian photographer Stian Solum explained that he was one of those shot at by a man wearing an Afghan police uniform as he left the lift. According to Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne Lene Dale Sandsten Norwegian officials were in a meeting one level down from the reception when they heard shooting and "a big blast".
The militants were supposedly planning to target the hotel’s exercise and spa facility, which is used by many foreigners.
After the attack, American and Afghan forces appeared at the scene in order to set up a perimeter around the hotel and search for the remaining assailants. Private Security Contractors employed by the U.S. State Department Worldwide Personal Protective Services were some of the first responders to arrive on scene. After arriving they began a methodical, room to room clearing of the Hotel. They evacuated over 20 foreign nationals in armored Land Cruiser and Suburban vehicles. The Norwegian ISAF force in Kabul evacuated injured and others from the hotel. The Norwegians used two armoured vehicles, a Sisu XA-186 and a patrol car, including a medic and a nurse during the evacuation.
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Wikipedia