Hotel in Kabul scene of heavy gunfire

Somewhere in the Kabul region of Afghanistan two men are hunkered down as bullets whiz overhead. Journalists Mustafa Kazemi and Ahmad Mukhtar are using the social network Twitter to describe what they are encountering tonight.

According to Mukhtar about ten hours ago the Taliban claimed that a young Afghan boy killed an American soldier using a sickle while the man was on foot patrol. Four hours ago three suicide bombers wearing burkas attacked a hotel north of Kabul taking hostages. Armed with machine guns and explosive filled vests the attackers took over the Spozhmai hotel around 11 p.m. Thursday night, Kabul time. Witnesses at the scene said that the hostage takers executed a few of their victims at the beginning of the siege, shooting the hostages in the head. According to local reports the attack occurred because the hotel allowed foreigners to drink and other activities that go against the Muslim religion. During the past hour heavy gunfire has taken place at the scene. Three hours ago 18 hostages were freed from the hotel but not without heavy causalities. Local police and at least six civilians had been killed according to Kazemi. Two hours ago Kazemi reported that smoke was coming out of the hotel. There were too many grenade blasts to count, as machine gun fire rang out. Both journalists report that they were looking for cover as they dodged bullets. The Crisis Response Unit just arrived at the area at this time. Within the past few minutes 35 hostages have been freed from the hotel. Jamal Ahmad Mahmood reports that according to police one attacker remains hiding in a section of the hotel. Kabul Pressistan is reporting that the attack is over with all of the attackers dead.