Afghan Taliban gunmen attack popular Kabul lakeside hotel

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1. Afghan forces end Taliban siege of hotel, 20 dead

Source: Reuters

Afghan forces end Taliban siege of hotel, 20 dead

By Mirwais Harooni and Samar Zwak
KABUL | Fri Jun 22, 2012 7:58am EDT

(Reuters) - Elite Afghan police backed by NATO forces ended a 12-hour siege on Friday at a popular hotel outside Kabul, leaving at least 20 dead after Taliban gunmen stormed the lakeside building, bursting into a party and seizing dozens of hostages.

The night-time assault on the hotel with rocket-propelled grenades, suicide vests and machine guns again proved how potent the Islamist insurgency remains after a decade of war.

Terrified guests jumped into the lake in the darkness to escape the carnage, Afghan officials and residents said. Up to 300 people had been inside the hotel when the attack began.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said 12 to 15 civilians, two hotel guards and a policeman were killed in the gunbattle at the Spozhmai hotel, overlooking Qargha Lake. Five attackers were also killed.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-afghanistan-hotel-idUSBRE85K1S920120622