The deadly assault on the Hotel Intercontinental in Kabul at the weekend has exposed again how vulnerable the city is to militant attacks.
The attack, claimed by the Taliban, killed foreign pilots who had been flying for one of Afghanistan's three main airlines.
The raid by five gunmen dressed in army uniforms raised questions about how they were able to penetrate security at one of the capital's most prominent buildings.
The attack began at around 9pm on Saturday and according to the official toll, at least 20 people were killed, including 13 foreigners, many of them air crew of Kam Air.
One of the deadliest attacks on foreigners in Afghanistan in years could discourage expatriate technical specialists from working for Afghan companies who cannot provide the high levels of security provided by the United Nations or embassies.
"They were first killing Westerners and then laughing at the dead," said Vassilis Vassileiou, a Greek Kam Air pilot.
He told Greece's Pro Thema newspaper that he cut open a mattress and hid inside it for 13 hours as the fighting went on around him and the gunmen came and went in the darkness after electricity was cut.
"I was constantly hearing shouts, shots and bangs on the doors," he said.
Ukraine's ambassador to Afghanistan, Viktor Nikityuk, said seven Ukrainians living in the hotel had been killed.
Volodymyr Kostenko, a director of Ukrainian Wings, a company that provides services to Kam Air, said four of its staff, including two women, were among those killed and all of its employees in Afghanistan were being pulled out.
The final casualty toll is uncertain. Officially, the government says at least 20 people were killed, including 13 foreigners. People who work in the security system say the real figure is certainly above 30, however.
Interest is likely to focus on the private security company which took over protection duties three weeks ago at the hotel, which is in public ownership and is no longer part of the Intercontinental Hotels Group.
"The security company is being questioned and it has to provide a lot of explanation," an Afghan official said. "We can't rule out the possibility the terrorists had inside help."
Authorities are looking at security cameras to determine why they entered the hotel so easily and with no resistance, the official said.
Once inside, they went through the ground and first floors, opening fire on staff and guests before moving quickly to the upper levels of the six-floor building.
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