World News | Taliban Takes over Afghanistan's Only Luxury Hotel, More Than a Decade After Attacking It
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan's only luxury hotel in Kabul, more than a decade after they launched a deadly attack there that killed nine people.
Kabul, Feb 1 (AP) The Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan's only luxury hotel in Kabul, more than a decade after they launched a deadly attack there that killed nine people.
The Serena Hotel said Friday it was closing its operations in the Afghan capital on February 1, with the Hotel State Owned Corporation taking over. The corporation is overseen by the finance ministry.
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The finance ministry wasn't immediately available for comment. Neither the Serena nor the government clarified the terms under which the hotel was changing hands.
The Taliban first targeted the Serena in 2008 and again in 2014. Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani acknowledged planning the 2008 attack, which killed eight, including US citizen Thor David Hesla.
A statement from the Serena, a brand owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, said it had trained thousands of Afghan nationals, hosted large numbers of foreign guests and delegations, and set high international benchmarks in hospitality standards.
It asked people to direct their queries to the Hotel State Owned Corporation. Kabul no longer appears as a destination on the Serena website.
According to information on the finance ministry website, the corporation's mission is to revive and develop Afghanistan's hotel industry. It operates three other hotels in Afghanistan, two in Kabul and one in the eastern city of Nangarhar.
Tourism official Mohammad Saeed told The Associated Press last year that he wanted Afghanistan to become a tourism powerhouse.
At that time, in a sign the country was preparing for more overseas visitors, the Serena reopened its women's spa and salon for foreign females after a monthslong closure, only to shut them again under pressure from authorities.
The Taliban have barred women from gyms, public spaces including parks, and education. Last year, they ordered the closure of beauty salons, allegedly because they offered services forbidden by Islam. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)