Kabul (EFE)
“This afternoon, a group of criminals attacked the hotel in Kabul (…), the security forces arrived in the area and the operation is underway,” the spokesperson for EFE told EFE. the capital’s police, Khalid Zadran.
The hotel’s restaurant serves Chinese cuisine and is popular among Chinese citizens, a neighbor and eyewitness to the attack, who requested anonymity, told EFE.
Afghan television channel Ariana News aired videos shared on social media showing the hotel engulfed in smoke and flames from one of the first floors, following an alleged explosion caused by the attackers that the authorities have not yet confirmed. confirmed.
So far, no insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid an increase in attacks claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in urban centers across Afghanistan this year. last.
The Islamic State of Khorasan
Since the Taliban came to power last August, the Islamic State of Khorasan, its Afghan branch, has emerged as the main threat to the country’s stability, although fundamentalists persist in denying that the armed organization represents a security challenge.
IS claimed responsibility for an attack on December 2 in which two snipers from the jihadist group attacked the Pakistani embassy official and his guards while they were inside the diplomatic headquarters.
A security guard was seriously injured while protecting the head of mission and the Taliban government later reported the arrest of the alleged perpetrator and IS member, in a quick reaction by Islamist forces under pressure from Islamabad.
Last September, IS also claimed responsibility for an attack near the Russian embassy in Kabul, in which the second secretary and a security officer of the diplomatic legation were killed.
The Taliban, for their part, carried out operations in various parts of the country in an attempt to dismantle the jihadists and fulfill the security promises they had made during the war, before coming to government, when they assured that the areas under their control were free from terrorism and crime.