2014 Kabul Serena Hotel shooting

Not to be confused with 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack.

2014 Kabul Serena Hotel attack
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Kabul Serena Hotel
Location	Kabul, Afghanistan
Coordinates	34°31′14″N 69°10′41″E
Date	20 March 2014 (2014-03-20) 20:30 – 23:30 (UTC+4:30)
Target	Foreign election observers and journalists
Attack type	Suicide attack
Deaths	9 [1]
Injured	2
Perpetrators	Taliban

On 20 March 2014, Taliban militants carried out a mass shooting in the restaurant of the Kabul Serena Hotel, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The shooting, which took place in a hotel popular with foreigners and wealthy Afghans, killed nine civilians, including five foreigners. The attack was a shock to many as it took place in a heavily fortified area of Kabul.^[2]

Attack

Four teenage Taliban militants smuggled weapons in their shoes and socks and then hid in the hotel for several hours before commencing the attack. Armed with small handguns, the gunmen stormed the hotel's restaurant at around 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm, firing on guests as they dined and celebrated Nowruz, the Persian new year. Guests in the hotel barricaded themselves in their rooms and others fled. Nine people were killed, including Ahmad Sardar (a prominent Afghan journalist), Sardar's wife and two of their children, a Canadian, a New Zealander, two Bangladeshis, and a Paraguayan diplomat.^[3][4] Afghan security forces responded to the attack, sealing off the hotel and launching a hunt for the gunmen. One of the militants was killed by armed hotel staff while the other three hid in the hotel. The search for the gunmen lasted several hours and ended when Afghan commandos killed them.^[5][6][7]

Victims

Deaths by nationality

Country	Number
Afghanistan	4
New Zealand	1
Canada	1
Bangladesh	2
Paraguay	1
Total	9

Notable victims:

• Ahmad Sardar, Afghan journalist for Agence France-Presse.^[8]

Perpetrators

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.^[9] The Afghan National Directorate of Security blamed Pakistani intelligence agencies for carrying out the attack, further adding that it was "unusual" that Pakistani nationals were not present in the hotel at the time of the attack.^[10] However, it was reported that one Pakistani national was killed during the shooting^[6][11] although the Pakistani foreign office issued a statement saying the national was alive but in a coma as well as condemning the attack.^[12]

Aftermath

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe withdrew their election observers in response to the attack; one victim was an observer working for the NDI.^[13]

See also

• 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack: a similar attack that occurred on the same hotel six years prior
• 2015 Park Palace guesthouse attack: an attack by the Taliban on a Kabul guesthouse hosting foreign nationals
• Boston Marathon bombing
• List of Islamist terrorist attacks
• List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2014
• List of terrorist attacks in Kabul

References

1. "Afghan Official says 9 People, including 4 Foreigners, Killed in Attack on Kabul hotel (Reuters)". Bigstory.ap.org. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
2. "Nine killed in Kabul hotel attack". BBC News. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
3. "AFP reporter, family among nine killed in Kabul hotel attack". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
4. "Diplomático paraguayo fallece en un ataque de talibanes en hotel de Kabul" [Paraguayan diplomat dies in Taliban attack on Kabul hotel]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
5. Rosenberg, Matthew; Ahmed, Azam (11 March 2014). "Illusion of Safety at Afghan Haven Is Shattered". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
6. Graham-Harrison, Emma (21 March 2014). "Taliban gunmen kill nine civilians in attack at Kabul's Serena hotel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
7. "Nine dead in Kabul hotel attack". Al Jazeera America. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
8. "AFP reporter, family among nine killed in Kabul hotel attack". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
9. Mahr, Krista (21 March 2014). "Nine Dead in a Hotel Bloodbath: Welcome to Campaign Season in Kabul". Time. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
10. Ghanizada, Ahmad Shah (25 March 2014). "Pakistan's ISI plotted attack on Serena hotel in Kabul: NDS". The Khaama Press News Agency. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
11. "Nine killed in Kabul hotel attack". 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
12. "Serena Hotel: Pakistani injured, not killed, in Kabul attack". The Express Tribune. 22 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
13. Donati, Jessica (23 March 2014). "Election observers pull foreign staff out of Afghanistan after hotel attack". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.