A suicide bomber has killed at least three people and wounded several others in an attack on a Kabul hotel hit by a similar assault nearly a year ago.
Afghan and western officials said the man detonated his explosives at the entrance to the Safi Landmark hotel in the centre of the city. Gunshots were heard soon after the blast.
"Three guards were killed, two civilians have been wounded and one is missing, after the suicide bomber blew himself up," said a police official who asked not to be named, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Shops on the first floors of the hotel were damaged by the bomb.
"It was a huge blast, that deafened me," said Tamim Mehraj, whose gemstone shop is metres from the site of the explosion. "The windows have been blown out and the shop is damaged."
A western military official said initial concerns that a second suicide bomber was part of the assault plan had not been confirmed.
Violence in Afghanistan has reached the highest levels since the Taliban was ousted in 2001, with civilian and military casualties at record levels.
Monday's assault came barely two weeks after a suicide bomber attacked a supermarket frequented by foreigners in the Kabul's diplomatic district, killing at least nine people. Several insurgent groups claimed responsibility for that attack.
In February last year at least 16 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a series of attacks on the Safi Landmark hotel and nearby guesthouses. An Italian diplomat and Indian government officials were killed in the assault.
No comments:
Post a Comment