by Zabihullah Tamanna
KABUL
Afghan security forces have repelled an attempt by Taliban gunmen to raid a guesthouse in the capital Kabul on Tuesday night.
“All attackers have been killed; there are no civilian or military causalities. One Rocket Propelled Grenade, three AK-47s, a radio and one RPG 7 rocket launcher were seized,” Kabul police chief, General Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters. “Only one policeman was slightly wounded during the gun fight.”
The Afghan interior ministry said one of the four attackers detonated his explosives at the first gate of the Heetal Hotel while three others attacked using light and heavy weapons.
The attack began late Tuesday night when the gunmen tried to enter the hotel frequented by foreigners in the heavily guarded Wazir Akbar Khan area, close to the U.S., Canadian and U.K. embassies.
The attempted raid on the hotel followed a similar guesthouse attack earlier in May, when Taliban fighters killed 14 people, including nine foreign citizens.
A heavy police and special forces presence was deployed in the area, which was cordoned off to traffic. Neighboring houses bore the bullet marks of the weaponry used during the clash.
The hotel had taken extra security measures after previous attacks including a 2009 suicide bombing that killed eight people and injured 40 others.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, which lasted for about six hours and came as they continue to target Kabul and various Afghan provinces as part of the spring offensive announced in April.
