News: The Intrepid-DX Group

[IK0ZCW]

Reaction to the attack and bombings at the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel

The Intrepid DX Group is saddened to learn of the attack and bombings at the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel. This hotel was to be the venue for the now cancelled DXpedition that was planned for May 4th to May 16th, 2011.

The hotel General Manager, Mr. Yousuf Hakimi and his staff were very supportive and welcomed our plans to do a DXpedition from their hotel. The hotel’s height on a prominent hilltop made for a spectacular radio location. In early April, we shipped our DXpedition equipment to the hotel. Since we cancelled the DXpedition, Mr. Hakimi and his staff was cooperative in helping us recover the bulk of our equipment.

We cancelled our plans to conduct the DXpedition on the morning following Osama Bin Laden’s death. We were to fly to Kabul that very morning. It is just this type of attack that we feared in reprisal for Bin Laden’s death.

We had hoped that things might stabilize in Kabul and that someday we could resume our plans for a DXpedition, however attacks such as this make those plans unsound and less likely.

We will continue to focus on activating the soon to be new country of The Republic of Southern Sudan.

Thank you,

Paul Ewing, N6PSE
The Intrepid DX Group