Last Updated Jan 20, 2018 1:03 PM EST
A group of gunmen have launched an attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, authorities said Saturday. Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told CBS News that they believe four gunmen attacked the hotel.
The kitchen and parts of the hotel is on fire, Rahimi said, and Afghan special forces have cleared the first floor. Rahimi did not provide details on casualties but said foreign and Afghan guests were inside the hotel during the attack.
An official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that four attackers are “inside the building” and “shooting at guests.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Intercontinental Hotel is typically used for conferences and gatherings. 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.”
CBS News’ Ahmad Mukhtar contributed to this report.
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