The Taliban government of Afghanistan took over the administration of the famous Hotel Serena de Kabul on Saturday, a hotel statement said, a luxury property led by Taliban attacks during its insurgency.
The Kabul Serena hotel was administered for almost 20 years by the Aga Khan fund for economic development in the Afghan capital and was popular among business travelers and foreign guests.
“The Kabul Serena hotel will close its operations as of February 1, 2025,” said a statement from Serena on Friday night.
The hotel operations are now managed by the corporation that owns the hotel status (HSOC), the statement added.
“Since its opening in 2005, the Kabul Serena hotel has been an integral part of Kabul’s social fabric, an iconic presence in the city and a symbol of our unwavering commitment to the people of Afghanistan,” the statement said.
Taliban government spokesmen did not immediately respond to comments requests and AFP Property journalists were not allowed on Saturday morning.
On Saturday, the hotel website only showed the declaration on delivery and Kabul has been withdrawn from the Serena brand destinations.
Switzerland -based organization also did not respond to AFP Requests for comments.
Serena has been the objective of multiple mortal attacks by the Taliban before they swept power in 2021, expelling the government backed abroad.
In 2014, only a few weeks before a presidential election, four teenage gunmen with hidden guns in their socks managed to penetrate several security layers, killing nine people, including a AFP journalist and family members.
In 2008, a suicide bombing left six dead, in an attack blamed for the current Interior Minister Taliban, Sirajuddin Haqqani.
In 2021, the United States and Great Britain warned their citizens to avoid hotels in Afghanistan, pointing to La Serena, underlining the unstable security situation after the inauguration of the Taliban.
However, in the years since their return to power, the Taliban authorities have worked to attract tourism to Afghanistan, promoting a return to security.
