Blagojevich PR man killed in Afghan attack - abc7chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) --

One of the Americans killed in a terror attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, last weekend was the spokesman for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Glenn Selig, 50, was among 22 people killed when the Intercontinental Hotel was bombed and set ablaze. Selig and three other Americans are on the list of fatalities.

"Unfortunately, we have received confirmation Glenn Selig was killed during the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel," the Selig Multimedia representative said in the statement. "Glenn was a tireless professional, loyal friend and pillar of the community, but most importantly he was a loving husband and wonderful father."

In Afghanistan, Taliban officials have claimed responsibility for the hotel attack that killed Selig and the others and wounded more than 150 people, including 41 foreigners. At least 14 of their victims were foreign citizens, nine of them pilots and flight crew members from Ukraine and Venezuela who worked for a private Afghan airline, Kam Air.

The 13-hour weekend siege started Saturday when six militants in suicide vests and carrying automatic weapons stormed the heavily-guarded hotel, a popular destination for western visitors. The siege ended Sunday, but not without significant damage and a terrible human toll.

During the assault, video from the scene showed the hotel in flames and people trying to save themselves by climbing out of windows.

Kabul hospitals were overwhelmed by victims of the attack. Video from emergency rooms showed severely wounded hotel guests and workers caught in the ambush receiving treatment. Afghan officials said many of the bodies were burned, making the identification process difficult.

"The United States strongly condemns the attack on January 20 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. We can confirm that there were four US citizens killed and two injured. We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and wish for the speedy recovery of those wounded. Out of respect for the families of the deceased, we have no further comment," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement. - More, abc7

Blagojevich PR man killed in Afghan attack | abc7chicago.com