Developing: Explosion At Kabul Hotel

This is a developing story as reports are coming in of an explosion at a hotel frequented by foreigners in Kabul. This particular witness suggests that there might have been a series of explosions and gunfire:

Vanessa Valentino, an American working in the Afghan capital, was at a meeting at the central bank around the corner when she heard a series of explosions and gunfire.

Valentino described an explosion faraway, then gunfire, another distant explosion followed by a large explosion very close -- all within a "couple of minutes.''

"I think it shook the building,'' Valentino said. "We're just not leaving the building, and we can't figure out what's happened, so we decided to stay inside.''

That would appear to corroborate other reports that suggest that security at the Serena Hotel challenged a suspicious looking individual, who then blew himself up.

UPDATE:
An employee with the hotel says that there was an explosion in the carpark, but there were no injuries. I hope his statements turn out to be accurate.

UPDATE:
AP is reporting two dead in a coordinated attack involving gunmen and suicide bombers on the Serena Hotel.

The 6:12 p.m. attack came on a night the Norwegian embassy was holding a meeting at the Serena Hotel. An American inside said she saw a body she believed to be dead and pools of blood in the lobby, and hotel employees reported two dead. She said three foreigners were wounded.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, told The Associated Press that four militants with suicide vests attacked the hotel — one bomber who detonated his explosives and three militants who threw grenades and fired guns and then fled. The claim could not be verified but came very soon after the attack.

Five ambulances and U.S. troops in Humvees rushed to the hotel. Police kept journalists and onlookers far from the building.

Stian L. Solum, a photographer from the Norwegian photo agency Scanpix, said a Norwegian journalist from the Oslo newspaper Dagbladet and a Norwegian diplomatic staff member were injured in the explosion. He said Norway's Foreign Minster Jonas Gahr Stoere, currently visiting Kabul, was not injured and was safe in the hotel basement.

UPDATE:
The Taliban has the western media on speed dial, just in case they manage to succeed in one of their deadly attacks. They're also quick to respond to reports that show just how badly the Taliban are getting pounded in other areas of the country.

Note that one Taliban bigwig got his ticket punched yesterday. Let's also not forget that negotiating with the Taliban will produce no winning scenarios. This is an enemy that must be defeated.

UPDATE:
Here's the hotel's website. Room accomodations look nice, especially considering the situation in the country. Someone clearly thinks that there's a market for an upscale hotel in Kabul.

Here's a map of where the hotel is located.

UPDATE:
The death toll continues to climb from the terrorist attack. It is now six.

The militants killed six people and wounded six, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.

One of the attackers was shot to death and the Taliban spokesman said a second died in the suicide explosion.

More than 30 U.S. soldiers in a half dozen Humvees rushed to the hotel as part of a quick reaction force.

Suzanne Griffin, an American who works with the aid agency Save the Children, said she was in the gym's locker room when the attack started.

"Thank God I didn't get into the shower because then we heard gunfire, a lot of it. It was very close, close enough that plaster came off the ceiling," said Griffin, her voice shaking. "We all just sat on the floor and got as far as we could from any glass and huddled on the floor. We turned our phones on silent."

UPDATE:
Speculation abounds that Norway's Foreign Minster was the target of the attack. A total of five people were killed, not counting the suicide bomber. There is some confusion over whether the casualties were due to the bomb or gunfire, but the latest reports suggest that they were killed by gunfire, and the suicide bomber then conducted his attack.