Afghans blame security lapse for hotel attack, condemn Taliban

KABUL, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Afghans blamed the security lapse for a deadly terrorist attack on a luxury hotel in the capital city of Kabul that left nine people dead, including four attackers, after a 12-hour fighting between security forces and the gunmen on Sunday.

The Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the deadly siege on the four-star Intercontinental Hotel, insisting that all the victims were "ranking officials and their foreign backers."

Zabihullah Majahid, who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit, said in a statement sent to media outlets that five suicide bombers targeted a meeting of foreigners at the hotel.

However, the Afghan Interior Ministry rejected the claim, saying five people, all civilians including a foreign national, and four attackers were killed, and six others including four personnel of the police were injured in the attack.

The ministry added that the police personnel had also rescued 160 guests, including 41 foreigners from the hotel.

Afghans from all walks of life, besides condemning the attack as a "coward terrorist act," also blamed the security lapse for enabling militants to target such a fortified hotel.

"It is a matter of questions how the militants were able to enter the hotel with arms and ammunitions," said parliamentarian Nadir Balouch.

The road leading to the hotel is strictly checked by police deployed at checkpoints and no one is allowed to cross the gate without checking.

"Corruption, bribery and trampling the law of the land by people facilitate terrorists' high profile attacks and target such a fortified hotel in the capital city," security analyst Aziz Ahmad Wardak told local media.

A Kabul resident at the site of the blast also lamented that overlooking security laws had paved the way for terrorists to kill people.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah described the bloody terror attack as a crime against humanity and strongly condemned it. Enditem