Four US citizens were killed in Kabul hotel attack

Four US citizens were killed and two wounded in an attack last weekend against a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital, the State Department today.

"The United States strongly condemns the attack on January 20 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, announcing the US toll.

The 12-hour assault which began late Saturday left at least 22 dead, most of them foreign, including citizens from Venezuela, Ukraine, Germany and Kazakhstan.

Taliban gunmen opposed to Afghanistan's US-backed government stormed the building and sprayed guests with automatic fire before government forces intervened.

"We can confirm that there were four US citizens killed and two injured," Nauert said.
 

"We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and wish for the speedy recovery of those wounded," she said.

"Out of respect for the families of the deceased, we have no further comment."

The State Department had previously confirmed that none of the American casualties in the attack were US government employees, troops or contractors.