Just before President Obama plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and begin the gradual process of turning over power to Afghan security forces, a premier hotel in the Afghan capital was attacked. Several armed men entered the building, firing sporadically (Rubin). Rocket-propelled grenades thrown from the roof were aimed at the first vice president's house (CNN). Afghan security forces searched for and fended off the attackers for hours (Rubin). .
NATO helicopters came to the aid of the Afghan security forces killing three suicide bombers on the roof. A fourth bomber was killed in the beginning of the attack, but it is unclear whether he detonated his bomb or was shot by the security forces. However, several unknown explosions were reported (Rubin).
The Intercontinental Hotel is heavily guarded. The hotel on top of the hill in Kabul has its own personal police guard at the base of the hill and intelligence officers at the top and near the entrance to the hotel. These security forces do not know how the attackers could have penetrated the defenses. They believe six different attackers may have killed or injured as many as ten people (Rubin). .
"All the Afghan forces are near and around the hotel and the fighting is still going on and we are trying to kill them," said police general, Mohammed Zahir, head of the Criminal Investigation Department. He later said during a local television airing that the Interior Minister, Bismullah Khan, had joined the security forces at the scene (Rubin). .
NATO tracked the violence but did not intervene until their assistance was requested. "Two ISAF helicopters circled the roof of the hotel and then identified three individuals believed to be insurgents on the roof and the helicopters engaged the individuals with small arms," said Major Time James, a NATO spokesman. "They were all wearing suicide vests and were armed and there were at least two explosions which we believe were the suicide vests detonating.
