Kabul Hotel Attack: At least 18 people, including 14 foreigners, killed in Taliban siege

The Afghanistan government on Sunday revised the death toll in Kabul hotel attack to 18, counting at least 14 foreigners among those killed. Gunmen in army uniforms had stormed Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday and battled Afghan Special Forces for 13 hours overnight. 

While the government had earlier said five people - four Afghans and one foreigner - were killed in the attack, multiple media reports today quoted official sources as saying that the toll has been revised to at least 18. 

Local news agency TOLOnews went as far as putting the toll to 43. A survivor of the incident told TOLOnews that the number of casualties is much higher than revealed by government institutions.

This was, however, not confirmed by other reports.  

Local airline Kam Air said around 40 of its pilots and crew, many of whom are foreigners, were staying in the hotel and as many as 10 had been killed. Zamari Kamgar, the airline's deputy director, said it was still trying to locate staff.

Local media reports said the dead included Venezuelans and Ukrainians. 

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh had earlier said that five people were killed and six wounded but the final number of casualties would be certainly higher. All five attackers were also killed, he said.

More than 150 guests were able to flee as parts of the building caught fire, with some shimmying down sheets tied together and dropped from upper-floor windows and others rescued by Afghan forces.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
Even after officials said the attack was over, sporadic gunshots and explosions could be heard from the site.

The raid was the latest in a series of attacks that have underlined the city's vulnerability and the ability of militants to mount high-profile operations aimed at undermining confidence in the Western-backed government.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement the attack was carried out by 5 fighters.

A statement from the interior ministry put the blame on the Haqqani network, a group affiliated with the Taliban, which claimed a previous attack on the hotel in 2011.

(With Reuters inputs)