Two Venezuelans killed in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Kabul

Fourteen foreigners, including two Venezuelans, and four Afghans died during the Taliban assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, which ended after 13 hours of confrontation with six gunmen.

"We confirm that in the attack last night 18 people died, 14 of them foreigners and four Afghans," said Interior spokesman Nasrat Rahimi, noting that among them there are nine Ukrainians, one Greek, one Kyrgyz and three foreigners not yet identified, reviewed Efe.

Rahimi said that 11 of the dead are employees of the private Afghan airline Kam Air. An airline source indicated that the company has confirmed for now 10 deceased foreign employees, eight of them Ukrainians and two Venezuelans.

The confrontation lasted for more than 13 hours with the Afghan security forces until the last aggressor died on Sunday.

The heavily guarded luxury hotel is a popular destination among Afghan and foreign officials, AP said.

Another 10 people were injured, including six security agents and four civilians. More than 150 people, including 41 foreigners, were rescued from the hotel, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

For its part, KamAir reported that some of its flights were interrupted due to the attack.

Vasyl Kyrylych, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, reported on Twitter that one of its citizens was killed in the attack, without giving further details.

 Rebels postponed the attack

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which began around 9:00 pm on Saturday, when five armed men armed with suicide vests were targeting foreigners and Afghan officials.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said rebels originally planned to attack the hotel on Thursday, but postponed the attack because of a wedding and wanted to avoid civilian casualties.

The attack occurred almost six years after a similar attack by the Taliban on the property, which is not part of the InterContinental hotel franchise worldwide.

The Interior Ministry said a private office took responsibility for hotel security about three weeks ago. The agency said it is investigating the way in which the attackers managed to enter the building.

Afghan security officials confirmed that there were 34 provincial officials gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Ministry of Telecommunications.

During the attack a fire broke out in the hotel and explosions could be heard during the whole confrontation. Television images broadcast live showed people trying to flee through the windows of the upper floors.

Captain Tom Gresback, a spokesman for NATO-led troops, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response effort. He indicated that, according to initial reports, no foreign troops were injured during the confrontation.