Summary
The
article titled “Journalist Among 9 Killed in Afghan Attack discusses an
incident that occurred on Thursday night inside of a luxurious Serena hotel in
Kabul. Four gunmen slipped handguns inside of their socks and launched an
attack that killed nine people; four of those were foreigners (from Canada,
India, Pakistan, and New Zealand). Among the people killed were an Afghan
journalist, Sardar Ahmad and four members of his family who were celebrating the
Persian New Year and also a former Paraguayan diplomat who had come to Afghanistan
to observe next month’s elections. The Serena, with its high walls and heavy
fortifications, was a magnet for foreign dignitaries and officials, along with
well-heeled Afghans, who swarm the hotel’s restaurants, coffee shop, and full
service spa. Spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Sediq Seddiqi told reporters
that the attackers were all young men who entered the hotel saying that they
were going to eat in one of the restaurants inside of the hotel. The men were
searched before entering the hotel at the guardroom which is about 50 yards
from the glass encased lobby, and the search failed to uncover the six small
pistols that were hidden inside of their shoes and socks. The guns were wrapped
in plastic to mask them from being detected from the metal detectors and were smaller
than the size of a hand. Two workers reported seeing men walking around the
public areas of the hotel asking when the Nowruz celebration would start. The
workers stated that they didn’t appear to blend in. Once the Nowruz celebration
began the men started their assault on unarmed guests around 9 p.m. and shot
and killed seven people in the restaurant and two people in the lobby. The
police quickly cordoned off the area around the hotel, which is less than a
mile from the presidential palace. The police were confused at first because
they trying to figure out if an attack was underway or if there had been a
fight between guests, which was what had initially been reported. Afghan
security forces overcame the attackers before midnight. Two of the attackers
were killed in the restaurant and another was killed in a nearby bathroom.
Throughout the attack, guests were hiding in their rooms or found shelter in
safety bunkers around the complex and some called friends in Kabul trying to
figure out what was going on. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for
the attack and the fears were reinforced that the election to replace President
Hamid Karzai will be accompanied by widening bloodshed. There have been a
series of attacks the past two weeks which have made it apparent that Afghan
and foreign civilians are likely to suffer the brunt of the violence. The
violence that has recently occurred, range from a suicide bombing at a bazaar
in northern Afghanistan to an assassination of a Swedish journalist on a
crowded street in Kabul. The focus on Friday for Afghans and foreigners alike
is mourning the dead and figuring out how the gunmen managed to get inside
Serena. Mr. Seddiqi told reporters that the attack “put the Serena’s advanced
security system under question,” suggesting the assailants may have had inside
help.
Analysis
This
article highlights the violence that innocent people suffered as a result of
politics. The Taliban wants to disrupt the elections and subject Afghan and innocent
foreigners to undue harm. This particular hotel has been subjected to violence
by the Taliban repeatedly. The hotel attracts a certain type of clientele not
to mention how luxurious it is and as a result it offers an attractive target
for militants. I can’t imagine checking into a hotel and hearing gunshots and
having to run for cover. To know that because of someone’s stance on politics
at any given time regardless of where you are you could very well be a target
is very unnerving. I just wish that maybe one day it won’t matter who is
running for a political position or what law is in effect that you don’t agree
with. Violence is not the answer and too many innocent lives are lost as a
result of nonsense. When will all this madness stop?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/22/world/asia/gunmen-open-fire-at-a-luxury-hotel-in-afghanistan.html?rref=world
No comments:
Post a Comment