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BBC news, By Lyse Doucet:

Kamal Hamade made the best chocolate cake in Kabul, the best Lebanese food and, he thought, the best evacuation plan.

But the plan wasn't good enough to save him and others who died with him when the Taliban attacked his Taverna du Liban restaurant tucked away in a quiet street of one of the Afghan capital's oldest neighbourhoods.

But his safety measures did save many lives.

And Kamal is reported to have grabbed a gun from his office to take on his assailants. He was shot dead defending his beloved restaurant.

I would not have expected him to act any differently. His Taverna had come under attack before. He always told me he had his gun at the ready to help defend his patch and the people who made it the special place it was.

When some of his staff were arrested a few years ago in a local dispute, Kamal insisted on going to jail with them because he thought his presence would get them out more quickly. It worked.