Americans killed in attack on luxury hotel
Americans were among 22 people killed in a Taliban attack on a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital Ka..
Americans were among 22 people killed in a Taliban attack on a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital Kabul, it has been confirmed.
Five gunmen dressed in army uniforms managed to get through two checkpoints before entering the hilltop Intercontinental and opening fire on Saturday.
Fourteen foreigners were among those killed in the raid. Eleven of them have been identified as working for the private Afghan airline KamAir.
The US state department has now confirmed that some Americans were among the dead and wounded, without giving exact numbers.
It said: "We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and wish for the speedy recovery of those wounded.
"Out of respect for the families of the deceased, we have no further comment."
Six Ukrainians, two Venezuelan pilots for KamAir and a citizen of Kazakhstan and a citizen of Germany were also killed.
The hotel was being guarded by a private company which had won a contract to look after security at the site three weeks ago, according to the Afghan government.
The guards had reportedly offered little resistance, said an official.
The 13-hour-long stand-off ended on Sunday when Afghan security forces killed the last of the militants.
More than 150 people were rescued or escaped during the siege, including 41 foreigners.
Some hid in bathtubs or under mattresses as the attackers roamed the hotel's corridors, carrying out their killing spree.
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"We overturned the mattresses and messed up the rooms, then opened the balcony doors to make it look as if we had escaped that way," said hotel guest Michalis Poulikakos.
Some people were pictured using bedsheets to try and climb down from several floors up.
