Over 40 including foreigners dead in Kabul hotel attack prior to int'l moot

- Intercontinental Hotel was to host an information technology moot;

- Interior Ministry spokesman admits killing of at least 14 foreigners;

- Newly appointed CG to Karachi and former CG to Peshawar Prof. Abdullah              Waheed Poyan were among those killed: Omar Zakhilwal

- Some building areas looked like a butcher's shop with blood around;

- Four intruders in 'army outfit' entered shouting, "Don't leave any of them alive, good or bad. Shoot and kill them all," says a participant;

- Pakistan strongly condemns terrorist attack at Intercontinental Hotel

Monitoring Desk

ISLAMABAD: More than 40 people were killed after Taliban gunmen stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in Afghanistan's capital on Saturday, a government official told Fox News on Sunday.

The dead include at least 14 foreigners in the bloody assault on the luxury hotel in Kabul, an interior ministry spokesperson said Sunday, hours after the overnight attack ended.

"Fourteen foreigners were killed and four Afghans," interior ministry spokesperson Najib Danish told Afghanistan's Tolo News, without specifying the nationalities involved.

Ukrainian officials have already said at least one Ukrainian is among the dead.

The heavily-guarded luxury hotel is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. The assault pinned down security forces for more than 13 hours before the last attacker was killed, as guests were forced to flee the building while parts of the structure caught fire.

The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for storming the hotel and killing dozens of people in the overnight siege.

Abdul Rahman Naseri, a guest who was at the hotel for a conference, told Reuters he was in the hall of the hotel when he saw four insurgents dressed in army uniforms. "They were shouting in Pashto (language), 'Don't leave any of them alive, good or bad. Shoot and kill them all,' one of them shouted," Naseri said. Witnesses said some areas of the building looked like a butcher's shop with blood everywhere, Sky News reported.

The Intercontinental is one of two main luxury hotels in the the country's capital and was to host an information technology conference on Sunday, according to Reuters. More than 100 IT managers and engineers were on site when the attack took place, Ahmad Waheed, an official at the telecommunications ministry, told the news agency.

Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal said that the newly appointed consul general to Karachi and former consul general to Peshawar Professor Abdullah Waheed Poyan were among those killed in the attack.

Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State terror group affiliate that has carried out a number of massive attacks in recent years.

Trump's South Asia policy announced in August aims to defeat the Taliban militarily and force them to come to the negotiating table for Afghan peace. The Taliban presently controls over 43 percent of the country, according to reports.

Agencies add: Pakistan has strongly condemned the brutal terrorist attack Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal in a statement Sunday expressed deep grief and sorrow at the loss of precious human lives and the injuring of many others in the terrorist act.

"We convey our deepest sympathies for those who have lost their loved ones and our sincere prayers and wishes are for early recovery of those who have sustained injuries in this heinous terror attack," the statement said.

He said the government and the people of Pakistan express solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan over this dastardly terrorist attack.

The Spokesperson reiterated strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He said cooperation among the states is important for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism.

"Pakistan condemns the terrorist attack on a hotel in Kabul. Terrorism is not acceptable," the spokesman added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest in a long series of attacks which underlined the city's precarious situation and the ability of militants to strike blows aimed at undermining confidence in the Western-backed government.

Earlier, after a 13-hour stand-off against insurgents, Afghan security forces were finally able to sweep most areas of the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in their bid to bring the situation under control.

At least five people, including the head of Farah's telecommunication department, Jamaluddin Padshahkhil, and one foreigner, were killed and six wounded in the siege, officials confirmed adding that three of the wounded were security force members.

The Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan confirmed that the militants' siege of the hotel ended with the elimination of all four attackers. A statement by the ministry said at least 160 people including 41 foreign nationals were rescued during the operation by the Afghan forces.

The statement further added that five people including a foreigner were killed and six others were wounded during the clashes. According to the ministry of interior, at least four policemen were also among those wounded during the clearance operation.