Rocket Explosion Damages Hotel in Afghan Capital

A powerful rocket exploded near one of Kabul’s few upscale hotels Saturday night, knocking some guests from their restaurant chairs and shattering windows across the lobby and in many bedrooms. No injuries were reported.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack has raised worries about security in the Afghan capital, where rocket and mortar attacks have been fairly rare since the fall of the Taliban regime two years ago.

Security is of concern ahead of next month’s loya jirga, or grand council, where the new constitution is to be ratified. About 500 delegates are to take part in the meeting, which is to be held near the hotel and is considered a key step in Afghanistan’s recovery from a quarter-century of war.

Police and soldiers from the 5,000-strong peace force led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization rushed to the Intercontinental Hotel after the blast and guarded its front door as some guests quickly checked out in fear of another attack.

The explosion sent glass raining into the lobby and many guest rooms. The hotel is often used by foreign businessmen and journalists.

“A rocket crater has been identified,” said Squadron Leader Paul Rice, a spokesman for the peacekeepers, known as the International Security Assistance Force.

Maj. Kevin Arata, another spokesman for the peacekeepers, said the blast caused “some minor structural damage, but no injuries.”

Taliban insurgents have launched an increasingly bold campaign throughout the country in recent months, often targeting relief agencies and coalition forces in southern and eastern Afghanistan. But attacks in the capital have been relatively rare.

The attack Saturday came six days after a French refugee worker, Bettina Goislard, was gunned down south of Kabul, becoming the first international U.N. employee killed in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban.

Intercontinental director Arif Marcheen said the hotel has 140 rooms and was nearly full. He said he had no idea who would have attacked the hotel.

“Suddenly the lights went out, the explosion hit and the building shook,” he told Associated Press. “All the glass in the lobby shattered, but no one has been injured.”

Another hotel official, Albert Bester, said 60% of the windows on the side of the hotel nearest the blast were blown out.