CBS News' Ahmad Mukhtar contributed to this report.
Gunmen Attack Intercontinental Hotel In Kabul, Officials Say
KABUL, Afghanistan (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) -- A group of gunmen launched an attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, authorities told CBS News Saturday.
Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told CBS News that they believe four gunmen attacked the hotel around 9 p.m. local time. Rahimi said two of the four attackers were killed by Afghan special forces.
Late Saturday night, an Afghan official told the Associated Press at least five civilians were dead and six wounded.
The kitchen and parts of the hotel were on fire, Rahimi told CBS News, and Afghan special forces had cleared the first floor. Rahimi did not provide details on casualties but said foreign and Afghan guests were inside the hotel during the attack.
The attackers entered the hotel through its garden and then through the kitchen, Danish said, adding that the hotel's security was recently handed over to a private security company, but did not provide its name.
On Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Kabul issued an alert warning of a potential terror threat. "We are aware of reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul," the warning read.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, CBS News reported.
In 2011, an attack at the hotel left 21 people dead, including nine attackers.
A guest hiding in his hotel room told AFP he could hear the gunfire.
"I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," he told the news agency. "We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us."
