The Taliban took credit for an explosion that targeted a Kabul, Afghanistan, hotel early Monday morning, the latest of a series of bombing attacks seeking to further destabilize the war-torn nation.
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Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said the incident ended with one attacker killed when his vehicle detonated and two other attackers killed by police.
The Northgate is typical of many pre-fabricated compounds that offer secure accommodation to foreign workers.
A police official from Kabul’s 9th precinct said Crisis Response Unit, National Directorate Security and police forces were trying to reach the guesthouse, but were hampered by the dark and gunfire coming from within the compound.
At least three suspected Taliban gunmen have launched an attack on a hotel used by foreign contractors in Kabul, killing at least one police officer and wounding four others.
The head of Helmand’s provincial council Kareem Atal said fighting between government security forces and Taliban militants in the Nad Ali district killed 19 policemen and soldiers in the past 24 hours.
Northgate, close to the US-run Bagram air base north of Kabul, is a heavily guarded compound with blast walls and watchtowers.
Twin bombings on July 23 killed 80 people in Kabul in the deadliest attack since the USA invasion in 2001 pushed the Taliban out of power.
A statement from the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said its fighters had entered the compound.
The attackers were killed in the firing followed by the blast.
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Afghan forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have since intensified an offensive against IS militants in their eastern stronghold of Nangarhar. But there is still fear of casualties as many people were inside the building before the attack.
