Nov 21, 2009 9:36 am US/Eastern
Rocket Blast Reported Near Posh Afghanistan Hotel
Local Army Official: Rocket Hit Outside Serena Hotel In Kabul
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KABUL (CBS) ―
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The Serena Hotel is seen Feb. 10, 2006, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The hotel opened in November 2005 and is located in the heart of Kabul's city center. It caters to mostly high-end business travelers and foreign delegations.
John Moore/Getty Images
A rocket hit outside the luxury Serena Hotel in Afghanistan's capital late Saturday, wounding at least two, the Interior Ministry said.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw police searching through rubble along the wall of the hotel's compound, apparently the impact point.
The area was blocked off by dozens of police and army officers. The sound of wailing ambulance sirens came from many directions.
The rocket wounded two people, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary told The AP. He said he had no reports of deaths and did not say how serious the injuries were.
Janagha Duragat, a shopkeeper who was waiting outside the hotel to load his merchandise into a car, said he saw the rocket strike the wall. He said it appeared to have come from nearby.
Duragat said he saw at least one policeman wounded in the attack.
The heavily guarded Serena regularly houses visiting diplomats, officials and international workers. It has been the target of attacks before, most recently just last month when a rocket slammed into a courtyard. No one was hurt.
The most serious attack occurred in January 2008, when militants stormed the hotel in a coordinated assault that killed seven people.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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