Taliban suicide bombers launch deadly raid on hotel in western Afghanistan
Taliban suicide bombers launch deadly raid on hotel in western Afghanistan
At least four members of the Afghan government forces were killed when the Taliban stormed a compound on Saturday, while an American soldier also lost their life in fighting.
2 min read
The Taliban launched an assault on a compound in western Afghanistan [Getty]
Four Afghan soldiers lost their lives holding off Taliban militants who raided a hotel on Saturday afternoon, with around 20 people, including civilians, injured in the assault.
Taliban fighters, some wearing bomb vests, attempted to raid the hotel in the western Afghan city of Qala-i-Naw just after noon.
Although they did not manage to capture the hotel four members of the Afghan security forces lost their lives defending the guests.
The raid took place in a commercial area of Qala-i-Naw, the capital of the western province of Badghis, and comes amid peace talks between the US and the Taliban.
Badghis' governor told AFP that local security forces prepared for the attack after receiving prior intelligence about the Taliban assault.
"We had intelligence reports that suicide bombers were planning to attack Qala-i-Naw," Badghis governor Abdul Ghafoor Malikzai told AFP.
"The attackers took over a building near the governor's office and police headquarters."
Afghan forces managed to fight off the insurgents who raided the commercial area of the city, which includes a hotel and several shops.
Three insurgents were killed and two detained, the defence ministry said, while children were evacuated from a nearby school as the fighting raged.
Earlier it was reported that Taliban militants had entered the hotel and fired on civilians.
Also on Saturday, an American soldier was announced "killed in action" following clashes with the Taliban.
"The name of the service member killed in action is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete," Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
The soldier is the tenth member of the US military to be killed this year, compared to 12 in all of 2018.
Agencies contributed to this story.
Taliban fighters, some wearing bomb vests, attempted to raid the hotel in the western Afghan city of Qala-i-Naw just after noon.
Although they did not manage to capture the hotel four members of the Afghan security forces lost their lives defending the guests.
The raid took place in a commercial area of Qala-i-Naw, the capital of the western province of Badghis, and comes amid peace talks between the US and the Taliban.
Badghis' governor told AFP that local security forces prepared for the attack after receiving prior intelligence about the Taliban assault.
"We had intelligence reports that suicide bombers were planning to attack Qala-i-Naw," Badghis governor Abdul Ghafoor Malikzai told AFP.
"The attackers took over a building near the governor's office and police headquarters."
Afghan forces managed to fight off the insurgents who raided the commercial area of the city, which includes a hotel and several shops.
Three insurgents were killed and two detained, the defence ministry said, while children were evacuated from a nearby school as the fighting raged.
Earlier it was reported that Taliban militants had entered the hotel and fired on civilians.
Also on Saturday, an American soldier was announced "killed in action" following clashes with the Taliban.
"The name of the service member killed in action is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete," Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
The soldier is the tenth member of the US military to be killed this year, compared to 12 in all of 2018.
Agencies contributed to this story.
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