2015 Park Palace guesthouse attack | |
---|---|
Part of the Taliban insurgency | |
Location | Shāre Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan |
Date | 13 May 2015 20:30 [1] – 00:30 [2] (UTC+4:30) |
Target | Foreign nationals |
Attack type | hostage crisis, suicide attack |
Deaths | 14 [3] |
Injured | 6 [4] |
Perpetrators | Taliban |
On 13 May 2015, three gunmen stormed the Park Palace guesthouse in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack is believed to be part of the Taliban's annual spring offensive against NATO's presence in the country. [5]
Shortly before a concert was due to begin, three gunmen stormed the Park Palace Guest House in Kabul. The event was being attended primarily by foreign nationals from Turkey and India [6] but with some US and European nationals in attendance as well. [7] The guesthouse was likely targeted as part of the Taliban's common modus operandi to attack compounds hosting foreigners, which would not mark the first such attack by the Taliban in Afghanistan. [8]
Recent attacks targeting foreigners [9] as well as the March 2015 arrest of a commander of what US and other officials formerly called the "Kabul Attack Network" [10] had previously highlighted a potential for future targeting of foreign, particularly NATO-based nationals in the anticipated spring offensive launched annually by the Taliban. The Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, Amar Sinha, was also believed to be inside the hotel at the particular time, which may have made the location more high-profile. [11]
Country | Number |
---|---|
Afghanistan | 4 |
India | 4 |
Pakistan | 2 |
Italy | 1 |
Kazakhstan | 1 |
United States | 1 |
United Kingdom | 1 |
Total | 14 |
Three gunmen entered as a party was being hosted in honour of a Canadian during a performance by an Indian national. A survivor of the attack who fled the premises initially gave media reports of up to forty foreigners possibly trapped inside, with Indian officials confirming at least six of their nationals at the guesthouse. Police officers had initially freed twenty individuals from inside the guesthouse, according to Afghan officials. [13]
Norwegian special forces from Marinejegerkommandoen [14] and Afghan security forces ended the operation shortly after midnight, killing the three assailants while rescuing over fifty people, including trapped guests and employees. [15] Five deaths had initially been confirmed by Afghan security agencies, with the death toll rising to fourteen the next day as the hotel was searched for more persons. The highly respected American aid expert Paula Kantor lost her life shortly after the attack, due to her injuries. [16]
The Intercontinental Hotel Kabul is a five star hotel located in the Karte Parwan neighbourhood in western Kabul, Afghanistan. It served as the nation's first international luxury hotel, one of the most visited by foreigners since its opening in 1969, built nearby the Bagh-e Bala Palace. The hotel has 200 rooms and is equipped with a swimming pool, a gym, and about four restaurants for dine in or room service.
The Taliban insurgency began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani. The private sector in Pakistan extends financial aid to the Taliban, contributing to their financial sustenance.
The 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack was an attack on the gym of the Kabul Serena Hotel, in Kabul, Afghanistan on January 14, 2008, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.
The 2009 UN guest house attack happened in the early hours of October 28, 2009, in Kabul, Afghanistan. 3 Taliban attackers stormed a guest house used by the United Nations, killing five UN staff, two Afghan security personnel and an Afghan civilian.
The February 2010 Kabul attack on 26 February 2010 was a combined suicide bombing and shooting attack. A car bomb levelled the Arya Guesthouse, also known as the Hamid Guesthouse, popular with Indian doctors. Two armed attackers then entered the nearby Park Residence, housing other foreigners. One detonated a suicide bomb, and the other was shot dead. The Safi Landmark Hotel nearby was badly damaged by the blasts. At least 18 people were killed and 36 more were injured.
The 2013 Afghan presidential palace attack occurred on 25 June 2013, in a highly secure zone of Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan.
On 20 March 2014, Taliban militants carried out a mass shooting in the restaurant of the Kabul Serena Hotel, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The shooting, which took place in a hotel popular with foreigners and wealthy Afghans, killed nine civilians, including five foreigners. The attack was a shock to many as it took place in a heavily fortified area of Kabul.
Armed Taliban militants performed a major attack on a popular lakefront resort on Lake Qargha near Kabul. The attack happened just before midnight. The Taliban militants shot several guards and took over 50 hostages and held them at gunpoint and armed with explosives. A wedding party of some 300 guests hid in the lake for several hours until the situation was dealt with by a combined force of ANA and ISAF troops as well as air support. Some 12 hours later the death toll stood at 21, including 17 civilians inside the resort hotel in addition to a policeman and several security guards. Norwegian soldiers from the Forsvarets Spesialkommando mentoring ANA was heavily involved in dealing with the situation and rescue of guests.
The following lists events from 2014 in Afghanistan.
The 2015 Kabul Parliament attack occurred on June 22, 2015, when members of the Taliban detonated a car bomb outside the National Assembly in Kabul then attacked the building with assault rifles and RPGs. Two civilians and seven Taliban died in the attack.
On December 11, 2015, Taliban militants detonated a car bomb and stormed a guesthouse near the Spanish embassy in the Shirpour district of Kabul, Afghanistan—home to many foreign embassies and high-ranking government officials. Nine people died in the attack, including four Afghans, two Spanish military policemen and three Taliban fighters. Security forces, including Norwegian special forces, took more than ten hours to bring the area back under control.
On 28 June 2011, a group of nine gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the Inter-Continental Hotel, Kabul. The attack and an ensuing five-hour siege left at least 21 people dead, including all nine attackers. Responsibility was claimed by the Taliban.
Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.
On 8 March 2017, the Sardar Daud Khan Military Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, was attacked by a group of gunmen, some of them dressed in white hospital robes. Government officials confirmed at least 49 people were killed in the hours-long assault, while 63 others were injured. By March 13 the unconfirmed death toll had surpassed 100, with an unknown number injured. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed to have carried out the attack, but officials suspected the Haqqani network instead.
On 20 January 2018, a group of four or five gunmen attacked the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle. The attack left 40 people dead including fourteen foreigners, while 14 were injured.
In May 2020, a series of insurgent attacks took place in Afghanistan, starting when the Taliban killed 20 Afghan soldiers and wounded 29 others in Zari, Balkh and Grishk, Helmand on 1 and 3 May, respectively. On 12 May, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and a funeral in Kuz Kunar (Khewa), Nangarhar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners. ISIL–KP claimed responsibility for the funeral bombing, but no insurgent group claimed responsibility for the hospital shooting.
On 12 December 2022, insurgents attacked a hotel popular with foreigners in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 3 civilians were killed. 18 others, including foreigners, are reported to be among those injured. Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack.