Taliban gun down Kabul hotel diners as pre-election violence grows

A view of the Serena Hotel, a day after it was attacked by gunmen, in Kabul March 21, 2014. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

KABUL (Reuters) - A Taliban assault on the restaurant of a luxury hotel considered one of the safest places in Kabul and frequented by foreigners and Afghan officials has added to a tide of violence sweeping Afghanistan two weeks before a presidential election.

Taliban gunmen smuggled tiny pistols past the Serena hotel's heavy security cordon and waited for the restaurant to fill up for an Afghan New Year dinner before emerging to shoot diners point-blank. Three children between two and five were found with bullets in their heads. Four of the nine dead were foreigners.