Afghanistan’s Taliban government has taken over the management of the prestigious Kabul Serena Hotel, a luxury property previously operated by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) for nearly 20 years.

The Serena Hotel said Friday it was closing its operations in the Afghan capital on February 1, with the Hotel State Owned Corporation taking over. The corporation is overseen by the finance ministry.

The Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel in Kabul, more than a decade after they launched a deadly attack there that killed nine people. The Serena Hotel said Friday it was closing its operations in the Afghan capital on Feb.

Afghanistan's Taliban government took over management of Kabul's famed Serena hotel on Saturday, a hotel statement said, a luxury property targeted by Taliban attacks during their insurgency. The Serena has been the target of multiple deadly attacks by the Taliban before they swept to power in 2021,