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6 Killed In Attack On Afghan Luxury Hotel

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By JASON STRAZIUSO, The Associated Press

Published: January 15, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan - Huddled in the gym locker room of the Hotel Serena with five other women, Suzanne Griffin could hear the explosions and gunfire - so close that it chipped away the ceiling above her.

With a shaking voice, she recalled that they all kept quiet and even turned their cell phones to ring silently.

When Griffin was finally evacuated, the 62-year-old worker for Save the Children said she had to step over a woman's lifeless body.

Militants throwing grenades and firing AK-47s stormed Kabul's most popular luxury hotel Monday evening, breaching heavy security and hunting down Westerners. At least six people were killed, including an American and a journalist from Norway.

More than 30 U.S. soldiers in a half-dozen Humvees rushed to the hotel as part of a quick reaction force, and security personnel from the nearby U.S. Embassy ran through the building looking for U.S. citizens.

"There was blood on the floor all the way to the kitchen. There was a lot of blood in the lobby," said Griffin of Seattle. "There were empty shell casings outside.

"Thank God I didn't get into the shower because then we heard gunfire, a lot of it. It was very close, close enough that plaster came off the ceiling," Griffin said. "We all just sat on the floor and got as far as we could from any glass. ... We turned our phones on silent."

The assailants appeared to concentrate their assault on the Serena's gym and spa, where foreigners relax and work out at night.

The 177-room Serena is a newly built luxury hotel frequently used by foreign embassies for meetings, parties and dinners. The nicest hotel in the city, visiting Westerners often stay, eat and work out there.

Located in downtown Kabul, it is near the presidential palace, although separated by fences, blast walls and checkpoints. It also is near several government ministries and a district police station.

On its Web site, the hotel bills itself as an "oasis of luxury in a war-ravaged city." The Serena has a double-gated entrance for cars, several armed guards and a metal detector at the entrance.

Information from the Los Angeles Times was used in this report.

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