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Taliban insurgents attack Kabul guest house Taliban insurgents attack Kabul guest house
(about 1 hour later)
A guest house in Kabul, close to the Afghan parliament, has come under attack from Taliban insurgents. At least four people remain trapped in a guest house in Kabul which has come under attack by Taliban insurgents, officials say.
Gunmen entered the building after a powerful explosion and officials said fighting was still going on. Afghan special forces are fighting the attackers and have retaken two floors of the guest house, police said.
The guest house is sometimes used by foreigners, but Kabul's police chief said no foreign nationals were thought to have been inside at the time. They say that fighting is continuing on the third floor and so far there are no reports of any fatalities.
Security has been tight in the Afghan capital, one week ahead of a presidential election.Security has been tight in the Afghan capital, one week ahead of a presidential election.
An attack a week ago left nine people dead when gunmen broke into an upmarket hotel in Kabul.
The Taliban on Friday put out a statement saying they had attacked a guest house and a church - but there are not known to be any churches in the area. Kabul police chief Mohammad Zahir told the BBC that there were four attackers, including one who detonated his vehicle packed with explosives, allowing the others to get inside the guest house.
"A suicide bomber detonated his car loaded with explosives in front of a guest house used by foreign and Afghan citizens," Hashmat Stanikzai, a spokesman for Kabul's police chief was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. It is unclear exactly how many people remain trapped in the guest house, which is run by the US-based NGO Roots of Peace.
Witnesses described how the initial explosion shattered windows and said gunfire was still continuing. Roots of Peace country manager Hajji Mohammad Sharif Osmani told the Reuters news agency that only four people were still inside the building which it runs and the rest had all escaped.
But officials also said they had been told by a man who was rescued from the building that six others were inside..
A number of foreigners were among those evacuated from nearby residential buildings.
There are several guest houses in the same street as the the one attacked on Friday, as well as campaign offices for several presidential candidates.
The Taliban on Friday put out a statement saying they had carried out the attack.
Witnesses described how the initial explosion shattered windows. Mohammed Sadi, a resident in the area, told the AP news agency that the force of the blast rattled buildings several blocks away.
"At the beginning a powerful explosion happened, which also broke the windows of our house," he said. "Then gunfire started and the police blocked all the roads."
Afghan special forces surrounded the area, officials said, and television footage showed military convoys headed towards the district.Afghan special forces surrounded the area, officials said, and television footage showed military convoys headed towards the district.
It was unclear if there were any casualties.
The attack is the latest in the run-up to the vote to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai next Saturday.The attack is the latest in the run-up to the vote to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai next Saturday.
Violence has escalated ahead of next Saturday's presidential election. Three days ago, the Taliban launched a gun and bomb attack on an office of the Afghan election commission in Kabul. Three days ago, the Taliban launched a gun and bomb attack on an office of the Afghan election commission in Kabul.
Another attack a week ago left nine people dead when gunmen broke into an upmarket hotel in Kabul.