it there, about ten seconds ago, some kind of explosion just happening from the top of the intercontinental hotelours, the afghan security forces have been literally trying to clear the hotel floor by floor and it has taken them about one hour or two to clear the sixth and last floor and apparently, that is being done but as you just saw the air, some kind of explosion coming from the top of the building. just to give you a sense of this hotel, it is one of the two big luxury hotels in kabul where often foreigners will stay, where conferences will be held, it is heavily fortified but as you will know from watching this channel regularly, the security situation in kabul is never good. we will come back to this when we receive more information. a major military operation is under way injamaica's north—west parish of stjames, which includes montego bay, the country's second city and one of its top travel destinations. the area has seen a recent surge in gang—related killings and a state of emergency has been declared. troops have been deployed to restore public safety. britain and canada have advise

this is afghanistan and the ongoing siege at the intercontinental hotel. urs. afghan security forces are trying to regain control of the hotel after it was stormed by gun men. the hotel managers say they came in through the kitchen and again shooting at guest, detonating hand grenades and there are reports the fighting is ongoing, floor by floor. the afp newsagency is reporting that at least five people have been killed and eight wounded. over 100 hostages have been released but it is thought more are in there. you can see from the pictures there, the afghan security forces on the streets. so far there is no claim of responsibility but this is not a rare occurrence in kabul where the security situation remains somewhat precarious. these picturesjust coming into us here at the bbc. the siege is ongoing at the intercontinental hotel in kabul. pope francis has celebrated a huge outdoor mass in peru's northwest coastal region of trujillo, which was badly hit by floods last year leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. from there he headed to lima — the

on the intercontinental hotel at least five civilians have been killed has been from the top of the five star hotel. to the. three attackers have been killed. one hundred and fifty three people including foreigners have also been evacuated let's go to our correspondent jennifer glass now she's joining us on the phone from kabul we had heard from afghan authorities that the sea was over but. what do you hearing. that's right a little bit i'm just outside the intercontinental hotel mini road i can see the hotel parts of it are charred black from fires that during the evening in the last hour at least half a dozen large explosion quite a lot of small and heavy arms fire and just five minutes just know we saw afghan security reinforcements getting to that hotel into trucks because large machine. and on the back of them so this siege by no means is over yet still hearing a lot of shooting and explosion at the hotel there are a number of ambulances lined up here on the road waiting for anybody who might come out of that hotel as he said elizabeth more than one hundred fifty three people had be

forces entered the hotel to go after the attackers they turned off the electricity at the intercontinental hotel is a heavily guarded hotel one of the two five star hotels here in the afghan capital and it's considered a rather safe place for foreigners and prominent afghans to gather to hold weddings to hold conferences to hold gatherings and so this attack really shows how uncertain the security situation is here in the afghan capital it's the latest in a series of attacks in the last few weeks here on a cultural center on other gathering places as the afghan government comes under increasing pressure to try and show that it can keep security in the capital that has been a main complaint of afghan citizens that the afghan government cannot keep its people safe and as we find out exactly how bad the casualty count is in this attack on the intercontinental hotel again i think the government and its security measures will come under scrutiny a new front in syria's war has opened turkey has launched operation all of brunch in the freeman region and northern syria it's an enclave for syrian coders

and taken hostages afghan interior ministry says special forces a battling attackers of the intercontinental hotel it comes just days off the u.s. embassy warned of possible strikes against high profile targets jennifer glass has this update from kabul. afghan special forces have been clearing the hotel floor by floor trying to find the gunman and get and evacuate staff and guests from the intercontinental hotel the siege started about nine o'clock on saturday night when at least four gunmen attacked the hotel it's unclear how they got into the hotel that is something that's going to come under investigation the hotel was very busy on a saturday night a wedding party was ongoing we also know that a number of guests were in the hotel delegates for a conference to be held on sunday so a very busy time it's unclear exactly how many people were in the hotel we know that several people were trapped at the time of the attack special forces entered the hotel to go after the attackers they turned off the electricity at the intercontinental hotel is a heavily guarded hotel one of the two five star hotels h

it isa intercontinental hotel in kabul. it is a 5—star hotel, popular with foreigners.ack has taken place. we don't know how many gun are involved, but we know that special forces have arrived at the scene. hello, how are you? hello. what can you update us on what is going on? the attack is going on according to the interior ministry. a p pa re ntly according to the interior ministry. apparently for assailants, probably suicide bombers, have entered kabul intercontinental hotel, which is a high—profile hotel, an important and very secure one. almost west of kabul. there are reports, unconfirmed reports, that the attackers have taken hostage of the people staying in the hotel. there are also reports of possible casualties, eyewitnesses are talking to afg ha n casualties, eyewitnesses are talking to afghan local tv saying that they have seen dead bodies. some people who have fled the hotel have said that they have seen injured people, but we cannot at all confirm that because afghan officials and the interior ministry officials, no one has confirmed any casualties yet. be

our top stories: gunmen attack one of kabul‘s top hotels — opening fire on staff and guests at the intercontinentalrkey launches an air and ground assault against what it says are terrorist groups in northern syria. in afghanistan, gunmen have stormed one of the most popular international hotels in the capital kabul, opening fire on staff and guests. at least four men are said to have carried out the attack on the intercontinental hotel, two of them are reported to have been shot dead by afghan special forces. andrew plant reports. armed security patrolling the roads around kabul‘s intercontinental hotel. these pictures taken around midnight, three hours after the shooting began. officials said four gunmen began firing on saturday evening, shooting at staff and guests. translation: at first i heard some gunfire and after 15 minutes, a worker from the hotel approached and said suicide attackers entered the hotel. local media reports say several people have been killed. it's unclear how many, yet it is believed the security guards at the entrance to the hotel may be among those injured. the intercont

armed security patrolling the roads around kabul‘s intercontinental hotel.s taken at midnight, three hours after the shooting began. officials said four gunmen began firing on saturday evening, shooting at staff and guests. translation: at first i heard some gunfire and after 15 minutes, a worker from the hotel approached and said suicide attackers entered the hotel. local media reports say several people have been killed. it's unclear how many, yet it is believed the security guards at the entrance to the hotel may be among those injured. the intercontinental hotel in kabul is popular with foreign guests, situated on a hilltop outside the city and has been the target of an attack before in 2011 when 21 people died. security forces said two of the gunman had been shot and killed. two more are thought to be hiding in the building with reports they had taken hostages on the upper floors. the attack comes days after the us embassy in kabul issued a warning about hotels in the city, saying extremist groups may be planning an attack and saying hotels as well as p

our top stories: afghan special forces respond after gunmen attack kabul‘s intercontinental hotel. workerfrom a worker from the hotel approached and said a suicide attacker entered the hotel. turkey launches an air and ground assault against what it says are terrorist groups in northern syria. the blame game begins in washington, as republicans and democrats accuse each other of causing the us government shutdown. and farewell to the man they called the pope of gastronomy — tributes are paid to the celebrated french chef paul bocuse. hello and welcome to bbc news. we begin in afghanistan, where a small group of gunmen are attacking a high profile hotel in the capital kabul. the deputy spokesman for the interior ministry said as many as four militants entered the intercontinental hotel through the kitchen and opened fire on staff and guests. afghan special forces are at the scene, and they have reportedly shot dead two of the attackers. this file picture of the intercontinental hotel gives you an idea of the size of the building, and the number of floors and rooms which would need t

you can see the intercontinental hotel. the smoke has been pouring from the roof. ucky to get out alive. we understand they were at least a0 foreigners inside the hotel but were rescued. 0ne foreign national was killed in the attack. we have not yet heard the nationality of the foreign national. we understand the security forces are carrying out an investigation. no group has claimed responsibility yet. large—scale recalls of dangerous and faulty goods will be managed by a new body from today. the office for product safety and standards will ensure they're removed from homes and shelves more quickly. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. in recent years, there have been notable product recalls such as the samsung galaxy note and some whirlpool tumble dryers. now the government hopes to accelerate the time between recognising the problem and removing the product from shops and homes. the new office for product safety and standards will primarily cover electrical or white goods like washing machines or fridges and will have a panel of experts to decide whether

network for the overnight seizure of the intercontinental hotel in kabul gunfire and explosions can still be heard from outside the hotel at least five civilians have been killed in the attack which began. on saturday night. turkey has launched a new campaign in syria targeting the kurdish controlled on clay scene artillery and air strikes have killed at least six people and troops are mobilizing for a ground assault president says the next target will be another town under kurdish control and the anniversary of u.s. president has been marked by a government shutdown off the senate failed to agree on a spending bill that will try again on monday to vote for immigration the main sticking point republicans and democrats blaming each other for the deadlock. now u.s. vice president mike pence has arrived in jordan to meet king abdullah as part of his regional tour earlier he met president of the c.c. in egypt to discuss security and the israeli palestinian peace process penned says the u.s. is still committed to a two state solution despite the controversial u.s. decision to recognize jerusal

the intercontinental hotel in kabul, blackened and smoking good morning, first our main story. authorities in afghanistan say a siege of a luxury hotel in kabul has come to an end, more than 12 hours after it was attacked by gunmen. an interior ministry spokesman said five civilians were killed at the intercontinental hotel, along with all three attackers. more than a—hundred people have been rescued. andrew plant reports. the intercontinental hotel in kabul, blackened and smoking after an ii—hour siege. the shooting started after nightfall, several gunmen armed with grenades and automatic weapons. translation: at first, i heard some gunfire and then, after 15 minutes, a worker from the hotel approached and said that suicide attackers entered the hotel. security forces were fighting the gunmen floor by floor, with reports of hostages being taken. we now know that around 100 guests have been allowed to leave. it's thought the security guards at the entrance to the 5—storey building are among those who came under fire. the intercontinental hotel in kabul is popular with foreign gu

the intercontinental hotel. this comes days after warning about hotels in the city.vestigation is under way to find how the attackers were able to get access to that hotel in the centre of kabul city. the second time it has been hit. there was an attack at hotel in 2011. large—scale recalls of dangerous and faulty goods will be managed by a new body from today. ‘the office for product safety and standards‘ will ensure they're removed from homes and shelves more quickly. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. in recent years, there have been notable product recalls such as the samsung galaxy note and some whirlpool tumble dryers. now the government hopes to accelerate the time between recognising the problem and removing the product from shops and removing the product from shops and homes. the new ‘the office for product safety and standards‘ will primarily cover electrical white goods like washing machines or produce and will have a panel of experts to decide whether a minor or local issue requires a national recall and will ensure that imported eu goods will

this is the second major attack in kabul in a week of course last saturday the intercontinental hotel that siege lasted more than fifteen hours and killed twenty two at the security has been tight around the city but still afghan security forces unable to stop this latest car bomb iraqi army official say the u.s. military across mistakenly fired at a gathering of tribal fighters and civilians west of killing at least seven people and wounding eleven others instant came off the u.s. back to rocky forces arrested and i saw a fight at his home an investigation is on the way. a cease fire has come into effect in syria's perceived area of eastern the capital damascus it was brokered by russia the area is the last remaining rebel stronghold near damascus and has been under siege by government forces for almost five years it comes the syrian opposition members meeting in vienna say they will boycott talks that russia is hosting in sochi next week but they did say that they are ling gauge with russia if moscow genuinely works towards a solution meanwhile turkish forces continue their operatio

hotel floor by floor trying to find the gunman and get and evacuate staff and guests from the intercontinental hotel the siege started about nine o'clock on saturday night when at least four gunmen attacked the hotel it's unclear how they got into the hotel that is something that's going to come under investigation the hotel was very busy on a saturday night a wedding party was ongoing we also know that a number of guests were in the hotel delegates for a conference to be held on sunday so a very busy time it's unclear exactly how many people were in the hotel we know that several people were trapped at the time of the attack special forces entered the hotel to go after the attackers they turned off the electricity at the intercontinental hotel is a heavily guarded hotel one of the two five star hotels here in the afghan capital and it's considered a rather safe place for foreigners and prominent afghans to gather to hold weddings to hold conferences to hold gatherings and so this is attack really shows how uncertain the security situation is here in the afghan capital it's the latest in a series of

it was the intercontinental hotel, one of the nicer more prestigious hotels in kabul. it's been attacked before. it just serves as a reminder of just how dangerous kabul is, how dangerous the entire country of afghanistan is. now, what we know about the attack is that u.s. forces were involved in a train, advise and assist. they were involved with afghan commanders that were trying to clear the insurgents, the terrorists, from doing and continuing more damage. it lasted around 14 hours. stephanie, there's some confusion on just how many dead there were. the afghan interior ministry puts the number at 14 foreigners who were killed. local news reports says the overall number of dead is around 43. we're trying to harmonize those numbers and figure out just how many americans died what they were doing there. were they contractors, were they involved in the government?

you can see the hotel intercontinental on the hill in kabul, and as you can see, it has been burned, en burned. and black smoke blackens the southern part of the hotel. more than 150 people, including some foreigners, were inside yesterday evening when gunmen burst in and opened fire. eyewitnesses said they were afterforeigners. translation: the attackers were knocking on the door of each room, trying to reach their targets. they killed ordinary people and officials. they were also targeting foreigners. these images filmed by local tv showed people escaping by climbing down the sheets that they had tied to balconies. this telecoms engineer fell from the sixth floor as he tried to get away. translation: when the sixth floor caught fire this morning, my roommates told me to either burn or escape. i got a bed sheet and tied to the balcony. i tried to come down but i was heavy and my arms were not strong enough. i fell down and injured my shoulder and leg. this sustained and complex assault will prompt urgent questions as to how the gunmen got through. let's get more on our main story thi

the news live from berlin afghan security forces at the end of the seat on the intercontinental hotel in kabul stormed the building on saturday to find a twelve hour gun battle that security forces launched a couple also coming up. we'll day or germany social democrats see last minute unity. that could decide the country's political future at stake a coalition talks with conservatives the latest from the party special congress. turkey drives tanks across the border into syria as the country's defense minister says the ground offensive on the new front pair is only a matter of time. on szell henery thanks for joining us a deadly siege in the afghan capital kabul is over after more than twelve hours of fighting on saturday evening gunmen stormed a landmark intercontinental hotel firing that gas and detonating grenades some residents and staff managed to flee while others were trapped inside at least five civilians were killed officials say all three of the attackers have also been killed the rate comes days after a u.s. embassy warning of possible attacks on hotels in the city. turkey s

the gunmen burst into the intercontinental hotel, shooting at guests and staff.

hotel. the intercontinental is a 5—star hotel, with around 200 rooms.on this as anyone we get it on this gun battle that is taking place at the tap—in intercontinental hotel in afghanistan. this is an ongoing breaking story. more now on the government shutdown. ministers missed a deadline to ministers agree a spending bill. well, we went out onto the streets of washington to find out what locals there thought of the impasse. i'm just very disappointed that we could not come to an agreement about this. it's stupidity. it's politicians in general. i can't believe we can't compromise these days. there's common ground in the middle. i'm sad that our government is this dysfunctional. i think it's chaos and i really think that we need to work together to do the work of the people here. this is ridiculous. probably both sides are to blame. everybody wants to blame somebody in all these things, but it wasn't like this snuck up on them. they've had several weeks to do this. as the presidents who said he was the art of the deal master, i feel he should be able to

forces entered the hotel to go after the attackers they turned off the electricity at the intercontinental hotel is a heavily guarded hotel one of the two five star hotels here in the afghan capital and it's considered a rather safe place for foreigners and prominent afghans to gather to hold weddings to hold conferences to hold gatherings and so this is attack really shows how uncertain the security situation is here in the afghan capital it's the latest in a series of attacks in the last few weeks here on a cultural center on other gathering places as the afghan government comes under increasing pressure to try and show that it can keep security in the capital that has been a main complaint of afghan citizens that the afghan government cannot keep its people safe and as we find out exactly how bad the casualty count is in this attack on the intercontinental hotel again i think the government and its security measures will come under scrutiny a new front in syria's war has opened turkey's president. says his forces have begun an air and ground operation in the offering region known clave for sy

people killed or wounded the government spokesman says special forces i'm on the scene of the intercontinental hotel battling attack as well the hotel is on top of a hill overlooking the city and it's usually heavily guarded because of its popularity with foreigners and prominent locals let's go live now to jennifer glass who's standing by in kabul hi there jennifer so what are the details to we have so far well julie it's a seizure is going on for more than four hours now the attackers got into the hotel on a very busy saturday night we know that a wedding was ongoing inside the hotel at the time for attackers according to the interior ministry got into the hotel heavily armed wender stand now the two of those attackers are now dead two other attackers still in the hotel reports from inside the hotel said those gunmen were going room to room searching for people we know that people were hiding that perhaps a hostage situation was ongoing a wedding was happening at the hotel at the time we understand the wedding party was evacuated unhurt i would this is say in the last hour or so that the afghan se

the intercontinental hotel in kabul is popular with foreign guests. hilltop a few miles outside the city, it has been the target of an attack before, in 2011, when 21 people died, including nine attackers. security forces said two of the gunmen had been shot and killed, two more were thought to be hiding in the building. now officials say there were three attackers, all killed when they stormed the hotel. the attack comes days after the us embassy in kabul issued a warning about hotels in the city, saying extremist groups could be planning an attack, saying hotels, as well as public gatherings, could be potential targets. andrew plant, bbc news. we are now hearing the caliban is claiming responsibility. let's take you live to kabul and speak to the bbc‘s zia shahreyar. what is the latest you are hearing? as you mention, the confrontation is over after more than 12 hours of clashes between afghan security forces and the assailants. only half an hourago forces and the assailants. only half an hour ago the taliban released a statement claiming responsibi

at least four men are said to have carried out the attack on the intercontinental hotel — two of themces. several civilian casualties have been taken to hospital. al correspondent is an cobble and gave us —— al correspondent is an cobble and gave us —— oui’ al correspondent is an cobble and gave us —— our correspondent al correspondent is an cobble and gave us —— our correspondent is in kabul. the attacker still going on and attackers still resisting inside the intercontinental hotel, a high—profile hotel in kabul. five people have been injured according to officials. there are also unconfirmed reports of many people who have died in this attack. also the security special forces have been deployed to the area and nato forces are said to be in the area helping the afghan security forces. the hotel was also attacked several yea rs the hotel was also attacked several years ago and the responsibility was taken by the taliban. no group has claimed responsibility so far for this current attack and the security forces are engaging to clear different floors of the hotel. it is also said that

the taliban has claimed responsibility for an overnight attack and the intercontinental hotel in kabul gunfire and explosions can still be heard outside the hotel despite the interior minister earlier declaring the siege over. one hundred sixty people including forty one foreigners have been. rescues let's go to accost on jennifer glass now she is joining us live from kabul has the security operation ended or is the siege ongoing jennifer what are you hearing. elizabeth we think it is all over now just a few minutes ago we saw a long line of afghan security vehicles run down this road you can see behind me the intercontinental hotel until about forty minutes ago you could hear bombs explosions gunfire both large and small arms fire and you can see the edge of the building is charred where fires have been set alight but we believe right now the siege is over afghan security forces many of them have already left flying afghan flags waving at the crowd here there are hundreds of civilians who have come here to watch what has been going on the siege going on for about fifteen hours as you

fifteen people have been killed or wounded government spokesman says special forces are at the intercontinental hotel back the attack as the hotel which is on top of a hill overlooking kabul is usually heavily guarded because it's popularity with foreigners and then the calls let's go live now to jennifer classes in kabul jennifer do we have many more details right now. we don't really the siege has gone on for more than five hours now you know just in the last couple of hours that afghan officials and security forces cut off power to the hotel four gunmen we're told by the interior ministry were attacked the hotel at least two of those gunmen are now dead security forces in the hotel trying to track down the last two gunmen reports really terrible reports people inside the hotel calling outside for help calling for security forces to come in and rescue them reports of the gunmen were going room to room in that hotel it was a busy saturday night about nine pm here on a saturday night when this siege began when those gunmen got into this hotel as you said on a hillside it is a heavily fortified hotel

afghan officials say at least 18 people are now known to have died in a taliban attack on the intercontinental hotel security at the hotel from the police to a private company three weeks ago. we can get the latest from our correspondent zia shahreyar live from kabul. tell us more about what the interior minister has been saying. that's right, there was rather more criticism of the interior ministry, so it was more response to those criticism because in the nantes continental hotel —— intercontinental hotel is one of the best—known landmarks in afghanistan, especially in kabul. so the people are asking that there were already reports that one of the hotels will be targeted. so the question and the challenge for the minister of interior is why, despite the information, this wasn't secured and how do the taliban managed to penetrate? for militants of any particular group, how unusual is it for them to target luxury hotels like this? that's right, these are well secure, and to make this even stronger, the security was then handed over to a private company to have a more focused security, but it looks l

hotel in kabul afghans paschal forces have been battling to take control of the internet intercontinental hotel two attackers have been killed but two more are still inside the building one hundred people have been rescued security analyst says the hotel is usually heavily guarded they have really taken the security for the question really is that how can such sophisticated attack can take place and there are rumors around is that there must be some sort of support for the attackers otherwise looking at the security arrangements around or get inside or tell it's pretty impossible to to enter. into the premises which so much of ammunitions and arms turkey has begun and ground offensive in the african region in northern syria as an enclave for syrian kurdish y p g fighters who are backed by the u.s. says as flights have killed at least six people. the u.s. senate will try again on monday to vote for a deal to fund the government politicians failed to agree on the spending bill on friday leading to a shutdown republicans and democrats a blame each other for the deadlock women are rallying across t

on a hotel in the afghan capital which killed at least eighteen people gunmen stormed the intercontinental hotel in kabul on saturday night targeting foreigners and government officials jennifer glass reports from kabul. explosions and gunfire lasted for hours as afghan special forces moved through the hotel guests trapped in their room new sheets and curtains to try to escape the attackers intent on bloodshed and murder or to have known way out for the weekend there were people and children inside the hotel rooms the attackers were knocking on the door eight room to reach their targets they killed ordinary people and officials they were taught that in foreigners especially hard. as the fighting intensified and grenades and gunshots echoed around the hotel some mula high call could only wait for it to end his brother cari hussein was trapped inside and had stopped answering his phone to them at the end of one of the when. he told me he locked himself in a room it's very difficult with a family member trapped inside it's tragic and painful it's unfortunate that these things happen it's not just o

attack in jalalabad comes just days after taliban fighters killed eighteen people at the intercontinental hotel in the capital kabul the afghan intelligence service blamed the pakistan based taliban affiliated hakani network relations between the two countries are already tense and the u.s. has cut off nine hundred million dollars in aid to pakistan because of alleged support groups afghan security forces are on high alert attacks like this show armed fighters remain capable of causing chaos across afghanistan victoria gates and be there. let's go to a correspondent jennifer glass now she is joining us live from the capital kabul what are you hearing about what's happening jennifer as the still an ongoing situation. it is elizabeth very much an ongoing situation we understand the attackers are on the top floor of that thirty three story building in jalalabad that is home to the ngo save the children special forces arrived on the scene very quickly after it happened just a little over an hour ago now but we know that twelve people so far have been injured and initially we know that there were pe

a taliban attack on the intercontinental hotel in kabul finally ends after a sixteen hour gun battle at least eighteen people were killed. but he's opened fire on anti-government protesters in the democratic republic of congo killing five . to go shooting with president troll is like negotiating with jail. and lots of finger pointing among politicians in the u.s. over who's to blame for the government shutdown the can they fix it. l.o.l. top story troops have entered northern syria to drive out forces on the border the soldiers went into a free day off to turkish jets not to enter units pounded targets belonging to the kurdish people's protection units or y p g considered a terror group by ankara trying to capture an area controlled by the white peachey in northwestern syria. the region borders turkey and these costs all from fellow kurdish forces to the east president has also threatened to attack kurdish held man bitch and his one pro kodesh opposition parties in turkey not to protest against the military operation. there has been nobody protesting on the streets so far the h.t.t.p

several gunmen are reported to have entered the intercontinental hotel and opened fire on guests insidethe bbc‘s zia shahreyar is in kabul. can you hear me? i can't hear you. can you hear me? i can't hear you. can you hear me? i can't hear you. can you hear me now? couldn't hear the first part of the question but i gather you were asking about the intercontinental hotel attack in kabul. the police officials in kabul, if you can hear me, they say they have killed, or specialforces have killed, two of the assailants, and they have cleared the first floor of the hotel, but the clashes are going on on the second, third and fourth floor of the flaws of the hotel. there are no match official figures on casualties so far —— on the floor of the hotel. we can see that the local tv press have been speaking to some eyewitnesses from there, who have managed to flee the hotel, and they are saying they have seen dead bodies and injured people from the guests bodies and injured people from the gu ests of bodies and injured people from the guests of the hotel and that the assa ila nts guests of the hot

the intercontinental hotel in kabul is popular with foreign guests.on a hilltop a few miles outside the city, it has been the target of an attack before, in 2011, when 21 people died, including nine attackers. initial reports said two gunmen had been shot dead, with more hiding on the upper floors. now officials say there were three attackers. all were killed when security forces stormed the hotel. the attack comes days after the us embassy in kabul issued a warning about hotels in the city, saying extremist groups could be planning an attack, saying hotels, as well as public gatherings, could be potential targets. andrew plant, bbc news. earlier i spoke with the bbc‘s auliya atrafi and he gave us the latest from kabul. after 12 hours of clashes, six people have been killed, one of whom is a foreign national. the identity of that foreign national is not confirmed yet and the taliban have claimed responsibility. yes, one of the biggest achievements here, it is claimed by the government, is that 160 people have been rescued. but there is a lot of critic

area we understand that been several casualties it comes just a week after an attack on the intercontinental hotel in the city lived out of kabul and al-jazeera isabella shah who. what more can you tell us. they're doing it was nonstop here in kabul and the really big calm day a sunny day but. that the city was jolted with with a heavy explosion we could feel that the doors were slammed here we were like kilometers away from this explosion site now we spoke to some police sources there that they're telling us that they explosion happened on the road to the old into did ministry a building now there are two checkpoints heavy guarded checkpoints now the secure the police source telling us that the suicide bomber it's a suicide car bombing that sousa car bomber has passed the first security checkpoint and has degenerated his. his explosive just right at the second checkpoint where on the left side of this checkpoint there is a school. and there is a high peace council a building now the source telling us that there are a number of casualties we still hear sirens of ambulances now it was. this is crow

very worrying developments with these attacks coming in we had a deadly attack targeting the intercontinental hotel in kabul in twenty teen unfortunately seems like a very deadly in difficult year. for of for afghanistan once the area is cleared and once the dust settles unfortunately we will be hearing that a lot of those killed ordinary people who are simply the only breadwinners for their families and the people of afghanistan continue to suffer as we continue to bear the brunt of this conflict. at a time when we also see all sides firing the war in afghanistan has seen a big increase in the number of attacks lately earlier this week on islamic state suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at the office of the humanitarian group save the children in the city of jalalabad and up to fifty people were reportedly in the building at the time of the attack at least two people were killed and a dozen more injured save the children announced it's temporarily shutting down that work in afghanistan and last sunday the taliban said it was behind a siege attack on a luxury hotel in cobol that left at least tw

people killed or wounded a government spokesman says special forces are on the scene at the intercontinental hotel battling the attack as the hotel which is on top of a hill overlooking kabul is usually heavily guarded because of its popularity with foreigners and prominent afghans there we have a life situation unfolding in the afghan capital kabul a prominent landmark a high profile landmark the intercontinental hotel prominent with foreign dignitaries and foreign workers that come from broad but also with afghan diplomats as well jennifer glass joins us now from the afghan capital jennifer what do you hearing about the situation there. well i spoke just a few minutes ago somebody inside the hotel a very dire situation indeed they said attackers were inside the hotel that they've set fire to a number of floors in the hotel as you say this is a very prominent landmark in kabul atop a big hill. in the city and. a very prominent attack now this couple has been on high alert for the last few days as prominent allegations have come through the city but this is attack really very much a blow to securi

finances were targeting government workers security forces and foreigners the gunman stormed the intercontinental hotel on saturday night leading to a siege that lasted more than sixteen hours afghan government says four attackers have been killed jennifer glass from kabul. lez you can see it's very dark behind me normally this would be a very brightly lit hotel but afghan security forces turned off the power to the hotel during that sixteen hour siege as they fought floor to floor with taliban militants inside the hotel it has been a very very difficult day for the guests inside the hotel for the stuff inside the hotel and their relatives waiting to see what has happened to them and president ashraf ghani is calling for an investigation of how these attackers got into the hotel the taliban has claimed responsibility for this siege saying that the targets were foreigners or government officials and security forces they say they tried to minimize civilian casualties by holding the attack on this weekend as opposed to last week when they said there was a large wedding planned at the hotel the afghan pres

two attackers are still resisting inside the hotel intercontinental, a very high—profile hotel in kabulfficials. but there are also unconfirmed reports of many people who have died. and the afghan security special forces have been deployed to the area and also the nato forces are said to be in the area helping the afghan security forces. the hotel was also attacked several years ago. and the responsibility was taken by the taliban. no group has taken responsibility so far for this current attack and the security forces are engaging to clear different floors of the hotel. it is also said that the kitchen of the hotel has, is burning and has been set on fire. so we will have to wait a few hours to see what these real casualties of the attack and who is taking the responsibility for the attack. turkey has begun a new intervention in the conflict in syria — by launching an offensive against kurdish held territory near its border. it has long fought kurdish separatists within its own country and is now shelling kurdish militia in the afrin region. i asked a guest earlier what turkey hopes to

a week taliban fighters battled security forces for more than fifteen hours at the city's intercontinental hotel in a siege that killed twenty five people last saturday security has been stepped up around the city but it wasn't enough. police on the army of afghanistan is a really young it's just seventeen or eighteen years old and they need more training they need more practice they need more experience but the taliban on the other hand they're very devoted to fight this cobbles emergency hospital was flooded with patients it's a scene that's been repeated many times the president says the uptick in attacks is because of increased military pressure on armed groups and political pressure on pakistan that may be the case but it's the people here who continue to suffer the most. the pictures are absolutely harrowing and this is just one in a series of these sorts of attacks lately how is that eroding public confidence in the security forces and government. and the public is very concerned about their safety we have seen since the attack of last weekend saturday and sunday that fifteen hour siege o

the interior ministry says four gunmen at least were going involved in that attack on the intercontinental hotel it's a heavily guarded hotel on the outskirts of the city on a hillside overlooking the capital jennifer this isn't the first time that this hotel has been targeted as it. it's not in two thousand and eleven this hotel was targeted then nine attackers laid siege to the hotel and twenty one people in all were killed in that attack again a late night attack and a long long night siege they set the hotel ablaze in that attack we had heard reports that a fire had been set tonight as well but it's really all dark right now we're having a very difficult time getting any kind of word from inside the hotel a special forces moved through but it gives you a sense of how precarious the security situation is here in kabul as you mentioned rob the american embassy had issued a warning earlier this week about possible high profile attacks on hotels it did not mention the intercontinental hotel it actually had mentioned another hotel across town but it had warned and merican zz and any other foreign

you can see the hotel intercontinental on the hill in kabul and, as you can see, it was burned, part and black smoke has blackened the southern part of the hotel. more than 150 people, including some foreigners, were inside yesterday evening when gunmen burst in and opened fire. eyewitnesses said they were afterforeigners. translation: the attackers were knocking on the door of each room, trying to reach their targets. they killed ordinary people and officials. they were also targeting foreigners. these images, filmed by local tv, showed people escaping by climbing down bed sheets that they'd tied to balconies. this telecoms engineer fell from the sixth floor as he tried to get away. translation: when the sixth floor caught fire this morning, my room—mates told me to either burn or escape. i got a bed sheet and tied it onto the balcony. i tried to come down but i was heavy and my arms were not strong enough. i fell down and injured my shoulder and leg. this sustained and complex assault will prompt urgent questions as to how the gunmen got through. after months of deadlock, germany h

at least 19 people killed saturday when taliban gunmen attacked the intercontinental hotel in afghanistan's capital. nearly a dozen victims, worked for an afghan airline. more than 150 people escaped as part of the hotel burned. last of the militants killed after a 13-hour standoff and gun battle. >> death toll from the mudslides in montecito, california climbed to 21. search dogs located the body of 38-year-old faviola calderon, her son was also killed. two victims missing. torrential rain two weeks ago destroyed 130 homes. a key stretch of the 101 freeway reopened today. >> near port saint joe in the florida panhandle hundreds of rescued sea turtles released into the water this weekend. more than 850 turtles went into shock earlier this month when a cold snap forced water temperatures to plunge. most were released saturday. a small number are still being treated at the gulf world marine institute. ♪ ♪ >> coming up next -- drastic measures in a major city on the verge of running out of water. and later, it's national hugging day. which is pretty much every day for this celebrity dog. ♪ ♪ t

our top stories: gunmen attack one of kabul‘s top hotels — opening fire on staff and guests at the intercontinentalist groups in northern syria. in afghanistan, gunmen have stormed one of the most popular international hotels in the capital kabul, opening fire on staff and guests. at least four men are said to have carried out the attack on the intercontinental hotel, two of them are reported to have