Kabul: The US-led coalition on Thursday blamed an al-Qaida affiliated network working jointly with Taliban fighters for a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kabul, an assault that raised doubts about the ability of Afghan forces to handle security as foreign troops withdraw.
The coalition also reported that a leader with the Haqqani network suspected of having provided assistance, including weapons, fighters and training, to the gunmen who attacked the Inter-Continental hotel was killed yesterday night in a precision airstrike.
Ismail Jan, the deputy to the senior Haqqani commander inside Afghanistan, and other Haqqani fighters died in the airstrike in Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia province, the coalition said.
Nine suicide bombers launched an attack on the hotel late on Tuesday, triggering an hours-long standoff with Afghan security forces, who were assisted by coalition mentors and NATO helicopters. In all, 20 people were killed, including the nine attackers.
The Pakistan-based Haqqani network, which has ties to both al-Qaida and the Taliban, has emerged as one of the biggest threats to stability in Afghanistan.
Jan, who moved from Pakistan into Afghanistan in late 2010, used to command 25 to 35 fighters who attacked Afghan and coalition forces along the Afghan-Pakistan border in Khost and Paktia provinces.
Jan's location in Paktia was pinpointed with the help of tips from Afghan government officials, citizens and insurgent informants, the coalition said.
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