RASC News Agency: Sources in Kabul reveal that the Taliban have unilaterally taken over the management of the five-star Serena Hotel, violating a prior agreement with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). According to informed sources, the Taliban recently assumed control of the hotel, which had been rebuilt in 2002 by the AKDN. Over the years, the Serena Hotel has served as a critical hub for attracting international tourists and hosting prominent foreign dignitaries.
Reports indicate that the Taliban’s takeover occurred last week, defying a formal understanding previously established between the AKDN and their administration. Despite the significance of this development, the Taliban have yet to issue an official statement. Representatives of the AKDN, when approached for comment on the current status of the hotel, declined to provide any remarks, citing their unwillingness to address the matter at this time.
The Serena Hotel, a landmark in Kabul, is renowned for hosting high-profile events and serving as the preferred venue for foreign officials. Even after the Taliban’s ascension to power in Kabul, the hotel continued to accommodate senior foreign figures, including Faiz Hameed, the former chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and William Burns, the Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Strategically located in the heart of Kabul, the hotel is surrounded by stunning landscaped gardens and has been lauded as one of Afghanistan’s flagship reconstruction projects. The AKDN previously disclosed that the development of the Serena Hotel required an investment of $25 million.
Notably, the Taliban had previously assured that the hotel’s management would remain under the AKDN’s authority, a commitment formalized through a signed agreement. However, this abrupt seizure undermines that assurance, raising serious concerns about the Taliban’s reliability in honoring agreements and casting doubt on the future of international investments in Afghanistan.
