Live
- Siddaramaiah has special love for Muslims: BJP
- We can’t afford spending less than 6% of GDP on healthcare
- Guinness World Record for continuous Hanuman Chalisa chanting
- REMOTE TRIBAL AREA TO GET NEW BRIDGE
- Dr LB College, Woxsen teams win in Climate Tank Accelerator event
- CM Revanth petitions for change in Paleru rly line
- Udupi MP seeks more key highways on top priority
- New diet plan rolled out at welfare hostels
- HRF demands for nation-wide caste census
- SP launches Medicover family health card
Telugu man among 14 killed in Taliban attack
A senior Afghan government official said a total of 14 people were killed when Taliban attackers stormed a Kabul guesthouse on Wednesday night.Four Indians, including a Telugu man, and an American were among those killed in the Afghan capital thinking that the Indian Ambassador was inside the complex popular among foreign nationals as the attack ended after hours-long siege.
4 Indians, American among victims in Kabul guesthouse blast
Kabul: A senior Afghan government official said a total of 14 people were killed when Taliban attackers stormed a Kabul guesthouse on Wednesday night.Four Indians, including a Telugu man, and an American were among those killed in the Afghan capital thinking that the Indian Ambassador was inside the complex popular among foreign nationals as the attack ended after hours-long siege.
Even as initial reports indicated that Indian Ambassador to Kabul Amar Sinha was the target of the Taliban forces, an official at the Embassy said he was not scheduled to be present at the hotel, where a concert was planned. Among those who lost their lives are Dr Martha Farrell, Director of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), who was on an official assignment and Kochi resident Mathew George who had gone to the Indian Embassy in Kabul for auditing purposes.
The names of two other victims of the attack are R K Bhatti from Chandigarh and Satish Chandra Nidumukkala from Andhra Pradesh who were also on work. The attack started at about 9pm on Wednesday night when three gunmen launched a brazen assault at the Park Palace Guesthouse, located in the Kolola Pushta area of the Kabul city.
Soon after the gunmen stormed the guest house, Afghan National Security Forces, including Special Forces, arrived and began striking back the attackers and also rescuing those under siege inside the guest house. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the siege at the guesthouse which was about to host a musical concert. “The attack was planned carefully to target the party in which important people and Americans were attending,” the militants said in a statement. All three attackers were killed in the siege that lasted for about seven hours, ending in the wee hours.
Then the attack took place, the musical event was due to begin and was to be attended by the Turkish and Indian guests as well as Afghan nationals, a security official was quoted as saying. Amar Sinha said he believed at least six of the hostages were Indian citizens. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Twitter account said he was “concerned about the situation (and) I pray for everyone’s safety.”
