Deaths 1 (+3 terrorists) Perpetrators Taliban Date 1 August 2016 Perpetrator Taliban | Non-fatal injuries 4 No. of participants 4 Location Kabul, Afghanistan Attack types Car bomb, Siege, Shootout | |
On 1 August 2016, a massive truck bomb exploded in Kabul, Afghanistan at about 1:30 a.m. and gunfire was heard afterwards. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed it targeted a hotel popular with foreigners though other reports suggest a base housing foreign military contractors was targeted.
The attack
The attack started at about 1:30 a.m. local time with the massive truck bomb detonating outside the Northgate Hotel, which houses foreign military contractors. Residents of Kabul said the blast could be heard throughout the city and that there was a power outage shortly before the blast. Four gunmen then stormed the hotel and opened fire. The gunmen engaged in a shootout with security forces for six hours killing one Afghan police officer and injuring four other security personnel. Two of the attackers were shot by police and a third died in a suicide bombing.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and falsely claimed that dozens of casualties had occurred.