Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Taliban militants attacked a hotel near Kabul on Friday and seized dozens of hostages, sparking a fierce gunbattle with Afghan and NATO troops that left 26 people dead, authorities said.
The standoff, which lasted 11 hours, ended with the deaths of all seven militants, police said. The militants killed 15 civilians, a police officer and three security guards, Kabul police Chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said.
By the end of the siege, police had rescued all the remaining 50 civilians held hostage in the hotel, according to Salangi.
Earlier, he had said there were five militants but revised the number as more details emerged.
Police said they found burqas in the vehicle the attackers used to bring in explosives to the hotel, an indication that some were dressed as women. A burqa is an outer garment worn by Muslim women to cover their bodies.
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