Intercontinental Hotel On Lockdown as Reports speak of Much Higher Toll

Kabul hotel guests describe lax security before deadly... | Daily Mail Online: 
Authorities are investigating how the six militants were able to slip past Kabul Balkh Safety & Security (KBSS) guards and launch the assault with guns and grenades.
A witness and a security source told AFP that at least two of the gunmen were armed and inside the hotel before the attack began, and questions have been raised -- including by the country's interior minister -- over whether the militants had inside help.
An AFP reporter and driver visited the landmark 1960s building on a hilltop overlooking the Afghan capital on Saturday, hours before the assault began.
They described cursory security checks by KBSS, accounts confirmed by other recent visitors.
"We were told the scanning machines were not working today," said telecom executive Aziz Tayeb, who hid behind a pillar during the assault.