Afghan cops end siege of Kabul guesthouse

(MENAFN- Arab News) KABUL: Afghan police Wednesday ended an all-night Taleban siege of a guesthouse owned by a prominent political family the latest attack on a venue frequented by foreigners in the heart of Kabul.
The standoff finished at daybreak with all four attackers killed a government minister said reporting no civilian or military casualties. 'Four attackers who had one RPG launcher three AK-47s and one grenade launcher were killed in Wazir Akbar Khan' deputy interior minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said on Twitter.
The assault was claimed by the Taleban who are intensifying their annual spring offensive despite repeated overtures from the government about opening peace talks. Sporadic blasts were heard hours after the raid began in the upmarket neighborhood of Wazir Akbar Khan home to several foreign embassies and a prime target for attacks.
'The attackers who wanted to enter the guesthouse used grenades but Afghan police used special tactics to kill them' Kabul's police chief Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters. Fire trucks and police vehicles were seen around the guesthouse Wednesday morning where broken glass and bullet-riddled walls bore witness to the night's carnage. Witnesses said the insurgents had seized a guard room near the front entrance but did not manage to progress further.
'The attackers took over a guard room at the gate and were throwing grenades toward the hotel and security forces around them' said Shafiqullah a local resident.
The manager of the Heetal Hotel owned by the family of Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and popular with foreigners said all the guests were in safe rooms and no one was hurt. 'Heetal is very well fortified. After one or two initial explosions our guards started firing on attackers who were unable to get inside' manager Beizhan told AFP.