At least 19 Afghans were killed in a 12-hour gun battle when Taliban insurgents launched an assault Thursday on a hotel on the outskirts of Kabul, dpa quoted an official as saying Friday. "The dead are 15 civilians, three hotel guards and one policeman," Kabul police chief General Ayoub Salangi said. "There were 350-450 people were in the hotel, and police rescued them," Salangi told dpa, adding that the seven insurgents who attacked the Spozhmai Hotel had also been shot dead. The Taliban placed mines and hand grenades under the bodies of some of the civilians and their fellow insurgents, Salangi said. "The insurgents are using the civilians as human shields," Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told dpa during the clash. He said it took 12 hours for the Afghan security forces to overcome the militants because they were "trying their best to protect the civilians in the hotel." The Spozmai Hotel is a resort frequented by Afghan civilians, mostly on Fridays, next to Qargah lake, a picnic spot popular with denizens of Kabul, which lies around 25 kilometres further east. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they were targeting elite Afghans and foreigners who use the area for "wild parties" before Friday prayers. No foreigners were reported to be present at the time. An official with the NATO-led military coalition confirmed the attack and the security forces' response.
