An attack on Kabul Hotel located in the downtown of the capital city began at around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, December 12. Residents in the area say the attack by unknown militants went on for nearly four hours. The city’s emergency hospital announced that three died in the attack and 18 wounded had been transferred to the hospital.
A resident in the local area of Shahranu says that the hotel is the residence of Chinese embassy staff and businessmen. There was at least one explosion near the hotel. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, confirmed in a tweet that three attackers were killed. He said that “all guests in the hotel have been rescued and no foreign nationals killed. Only two foreign citizens were slightly injured when they tried to jump from a window.”
The day before the attack, Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu met with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the political deputy of the Taliban’s foreign ministry. The Chinese diplomat had expressed concern about the security of the Chinese embassy staff and asked the Taliban to ensure their security. Although China has not officially recognized the Taliban regime, its embassy is open in Kabul and Chinese officials have established close relationships with the Taliban officials.
This is the second attack in Kabul in the last eight days. On December 4, armed attackers attacked the Pakistani embassy in Kabul. Although the ambassador survived this attack, one of his guards was injured in the attack. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pakistani embassy.
