Last Updated Jan 21, 2018 1:38 AM EST
A seige on Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel ended Sunday morning, with 146 people, including 41 foreigners, rescued from the hotel, Ministry of Interior spokesman Najib Danish said. Three attackers were involved and killed, Danish said.
Danish told CBS News five people — four Afghans and a foreign national — had been killed. Six people — three Afghan security forces and three Afghan civilians — were wounded, Danish said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Intercontinental Hotel is located on a hilltop in the Bagh-e Bala area of the capital and is heavily guarded because it hosts both Afghan and foreign guests as well as official conferences. Last night’s attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault.
This June 29, 2011, file image shows an Afghan man walking past the Intercontinental Hotel.
Shah Marai / AFP/Getty
The property is not part of the InterContinental chain of worldwide hotels.
The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago. The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building.
Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry.
No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which started around 9 p.m. Saturday. As the fighting raged, a fire broke out. Firefighters are still battling the blaze. Live TV footage showed people trying to escape through windows on the upper stories.
Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack.
Afghan security force keep watch near the site of an attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan January 20, 2018.
Mohammad Ismail / REUTERS
Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of massive attacks in recent years.
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. It said the groups may target public gatherings, government facilities, transportation, markets and “places where foreigners are known to congregate.”
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.
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
