On 20 March 2014,

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

militants carried out a

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

in the restaurant of the

Kabul Serena Hotel Kabul Serena Hotel is a luxury hotel in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan. Originally built in 1945, the Kabul hotel was restored and expanded by AKDN and named as Kabul Serena Hotel. It was inaugurated by President Karzai and the Aga Khan in 2005. ...

, in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. 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

Attack

Four teenage Taliban militants smuggled weapons in their shoes and socks and then hid in the hotel for several hours before commencing the attack. Armed with small handguns, the gunmen stormed the hotel's restaurant at around 8:30pm – 9:00pm, firing on guests as they dined and celebrated

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

, the Persian new year. Guests in the hotel barricaded themselves in their rooms and others fled. Nine people were killed, including Ahmad Sardar (a prominent Afghan journalist), Sardar's wife and two of their children, a Canadian, a New Zealander, two Bangladeshis, and a Paraguayan diplomat. Afghan security forces responded to the attack, sealing off the hotel and launching a hunt for the gunmen. One of the militants was killed by armed hotel staff while the other three hid in the hotel. The search for the gunmen lasted several hours and ended when Afghan commandos killed them.

Victims

Notable victims: * Ahmad Sardar, Afghan journalist for

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...

Perpetrators

The

claimed responsibility for the attack. The Afghan

National Directorate of Security prs, ریاست عمومی امنیت ملی , nativename_r = , seal = National Directorate of Security Logo.png , seal_width = , seal_caption = Seal of the National Directorate of Security , formed = , precedin ...

blamed Pakistani

intelligence agencies An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives. Means of informatio ...

for carrying out the attack, further adding that it was "unusual" that Pakistani nationals were not present in the hotel at the time of the attack. However, it was reported that one Pakistani national was killed during the shooting although the Pakistani foreign office issued a statement saying the national was alive but in a coma as well as condemning the attack.

Aftermath

The

National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...

(NDI) and the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

withdrew their election observers in response to the attack; one victim was an observer working for the NDI. The organizations had been observing the 2014 elections at the time, including the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabul Serena Hotel Attack 2014 2014 murders in Afghanistan Taliban attacks Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2014 Attacks on hotels in Asia Kabul Serena Hotel, Taliban attack Mass shootings in Afghanistan Murder–suicides in Asia Mass murder in 2014 Mass murder in Kabul Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Serena Hotel attack 2014 March 2014 events in Afghanistan Attacks on buildings and structures in Afghanistan Terrorist incidents in Kabul Attacks in Afghanistan in 2014

Attack

Victims

Perpetrators

Aftermath

See also

References