Afghan soldiers retake Kabul hotel after Taliban assault

Afghan forces stormed a lakeside hotel in Kabul to retake it from a Taliban suicide assault team that was holding dozens of civilians hostage. The Taliban claimed credit for the attack, calling the hotel and others near it are a "hub of obscenity and vulgarity."

A four or five-man-strong Taliban team armed with suicide vests, assault rifles, and rocket propelled grenades took over the Spoghmai Hotel, an upscale resort frequented by wealthy Afghans in Kabul, in an attack last night. The Taliban team killed two Afghan security guards at the hotel's front gate, then took nearly 40 Afghans hostage, including women and children, according to TOLONews. More than 300 people were at the hotel; many escaped by swimming in the lake.

Afghan commandos backed by NATO special operations forces retook... [via Long War Journal]