http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23054776-5001021,00.html THE security of Australian embassy staff in Kabul is being reviewed following a terrorist attack which killed six people and injured another six. Taliban militants launched the brazen attack on the hotel housing the Australian embassy. A suicide bomber and crazed gunmen struck the hotel.
Australian officials say they believe no Australians were killed in the terror attack at the five-star Serena hotel .
"We've confirmed that all staff of the embassy are safe and we have also started to contact Australians registered in Kabul to ensure they are safe, although we have no information to suggest they would not be," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has condemned the attack and says security for Australian embassy staff is being reviewed. "The Australian government condemns this attack on the Serena Hotel which we're advised has resulted in loss of life," Mr Rudd told reporters in Sydney today.
"I've commended the Australian embassy staff on their courage and professionalism and the way in which they conducted themselves through the events of the past several hours." Mr Rudd said that security for embassy staff was under review and any changes deemed necessary would be implemented immediately.
"This is sober reminder of the difficult, dangerous operating environment in Afghanistan." Mr Rudd said at this stage there wasn't a need to increase Australia's troop commitment to Afghanistan. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Garh Soere was inside the five-star Serena hotel at the time but was unharmed in the attack, and took shelter with other guests in the basement afterwards, hotel and Norwegian officials said.
"The figures reported so far is that six people were killed and six were wounded," Afghan interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told reporters.
"The details of the killed people are not reported but among the six wounded there are two foreign nationals. They are not high-ranking officials," he said.
The hardline Taliban movement said its men, including a suicide bomber, carried out the attack, which came as the Norwegian foreign minister was preparing for a dinner meeting. "Four members of the Taliban, one of them wearing a suicide vest and all armed with Kalashnikovs (rifles), entered the Serena hotel and opened fire on foreigners," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed told AFP. "One of them exploded himself," he said.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force, which has 40,000 troops in Afghanistan, said hotel guards had shot dead one of the attackers but it was unclear what had happened to any others. \\
Six dead..it could have been one hell of a lot worse.