Tuesday’s deadly attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul was a painful reminder that the U.S. drawdown from Afghanistan will not occur under conditions of Washington’s choosing.

At least 40 people were killed in the attack on Kabuls luxury Intercontinental Hotel at the weekend, official figures showed Thursday -- almost double the earlier toll released by Afghan authorities.

Non-Afghan soldiers depart after participating in a military operation against the militants that attacked the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul on June 29, 2011. Pedro Ugarte / AFP / Getty Images ...

Gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul and killed at least six people including a foreigner, sparking a 12-hour battle that left terrified guests scrambling to escape and parts of the building ablaze.

The attack was the second to strike Kabul in less than 24 hours, after Taliban insurgents targeted a guesthouse used by a US-based aid group.

It is the city’s main commercial area and is home to a large hotel. The ministry itself is an 18-story building, thought to be the tallest in Kabul.

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.