Afghan journalist's son regains consciousness after deadly Kabul hotel attack

GlobalPost

The only surviving child of Afghan journalist Sardar Ahmad, who was killed with the rest of his family in an attack at a Kabul luxury hotel on Thursday evening, has woken from a coma, reports said Monday.

Abuzar, who is two months short of his third birthday, was shot several times by Taliban militants during the deadly rampage at a restaurant in the five-star Kabul Serena Hotel that had been considered one of the safest places to stay in the Afghan capital.

More from GlobalPost: The Kabul Serena’s dark history

Ahmad, who worked for international news service Agence France-Presse, his wife and two other children aged six and five were among the nine people killed in the attack.

Four foreigners — two Canadians, an American and a Paraguayan — were also among the victims.

Abuzar received a bullet fragment in the head and wounds to his chest and left thigh. The Associated Press reported that the toddler had asked for his mother. 

"Abuzar is still alive because he was brought very quickly to the hospital," Luca Radaelli, medical coordinator at the Italian-run Emergency Hospital, told Agence France-Presse.

"He is still undergoing evaluation, and we have to be very careful because anything can happen, but he is making progress.

"He has started feeding orally and is alert in bed with his eyes open."

Relatives were discussing who would take custody of the boy, whose parents and siblings were buried on Sunday. 

The four men gunmen who carried out the attack were shot dead after a three hour standoff with police.

Authorities are investigating how the men, who had hidden small pistols and ammunition in the soles of their shoes, got past two security searches and a metal detector. 

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has vowed to disrupt presidential elections planned for April 5.

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