Among the dead were four Afghan police officers, two foreign citizens and an Afghan electrician who worked at the guesthouse, said Fraidoon Obaidy, head of criminal investigation for the Kabul police.
Advertisement
The Spanish government said Saturday a Taliban attack in Kabul, in which two Spanish policemen were killed, was “an attack on Spain”.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Taliban taunted authorities with the “disgrace” of not being able to prevent an attack in the heart of Kabul.
Some 38 civilians, 12 security forces and 11 Taliban fighters were killed during a 24-hour-seige, which ended on Wednesday night, against a residential area near an airport in southern Kandahar province.
The attack took place in the Kabul district of Shir Pur, which is home to many foreign embassies, guesthouses and the homes of high-ranking government officials.
Although the Afghan government hasn’t confirmed any casualties, information from the Spanish government and an aid group suggested at least eight people were injured.
Seven civilians and two policemen were wounded, Sediqqi said.
The attack follows a deadly 27-hour Taliban siege of Kandahar airport this week as the militants ramp up attacks despite the onset of the harsh winter season, when the fighting usually calms down. All four attackers involved in the assault were killed by security forces in an operation that ended at around 5am local time on Saturday morning.
According to BBC reports, Kabul police spokesperson Basir Mujahid explained the first attacker detonated his explosives at the entry of the guesthouse while others entered the building and fired on houses that were around. At that point, the raid on a guest house belonging to the embassy was still ongoing, according to the Afghan police’s subsequent account.
Afghan VP Abdul Rashid Dostum and other high-level government officials live in the area.
– September 13-14, 2011: At least 15 people are killed in a brazen Taliban attack targeting the USA embassy and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation headquarters, which raged for 19 hours in a hail of rockets, grenades and suicide blasts.
But Ghani has staked considerable political capital in advocating bonhomie with the neighbour, saying it was a necessary partner in restarting peace talks aimed at ending Afghanistan’s long war. Mr Ghani asked during a press conference on Friday.
– August 19, 2011: The Taliban claims a suicide attack against the British Council, a cultural organisation part-funded by London, that kills nine on the 92nd anniversary of Afghanistan’s independence from Britain. “Telling them to come to the peace table is stupidity”.
Advertisement
But the Taliban rebuffed his remarks.
