Photo by Jawad Jalali/EPA
Two Spanish nationals were killed in last night's suicide attack on a guest house attached to Spanish embassy in Kabul, according to the Afghan capital's police chief. Four policemen and three civilians were also reported killed, and more than 10 people were injured. 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.The attack, the latest in a series of assaults on foreign targets in Kabul, began at about 6pm on Friday when a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb near the guest house, allowing three gunmen to take up positions and open fire on security forces. Intermittent gunfire and explosions could be heard for hours in a heavily protected part of Kabul close to several embassies and government buildings."The operation took time because we wanted to rescue the people trapped in surrounding buildings and we had to move cautiously and in a proper tactical manner," Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told Reuters after the operation ended.Security forces rescued and evacuated 47 Afghans and foreigners from nearby buildings where they were trapped as the area around the guest house was sealed off. In Madrid, the Spanish government said all other embassy staff had been evacuated from the site and were receiving treatment.Related: The Taliban Blew Up a Car Bomb Outside the Spanish Embassy in KabulTaliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed Taliban responsibility for the attack on the "invader's guest house," which was perceived as being used as an intelligence gathering point.The attack occurred just days after President Ashraf Ghani returned from a regional peace conference in Pakistan, where he sought support to revive peace talks that stalled this year. Ghani's government has come under increasing pressure as the Taliban insurgency, aimed at expelling foreign forces and bringing down the Western-backed government, has spread since NATO ended its combat mission last year.
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The head of the intelligence services, who strongly opposed Ghani's bid to involve Pakistan in the peace process, resigned on Thursday, highlighting divisions in the national security apparatus.In a statement issued on Saturday, the Taliban taunted authorities with the "shame and humiliation" of not being able to prevent an attack in the heart of the capital. "The presence of our Mujahideen with weapons and a car loaded with explosives in such a high security area shows God's support and the cooperation of the poor and Muslim people," the group said.Related: Afghan Taliban Launches Attack on Kandahar AirportThe Islamist movement has been racked by internal power struggles of its own with rival factions battling for supremacy since it confirmed in July that its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had died more than two years previously. The infighting has not prevented the militants from gaining a string of successes, including the brief seizure of the northern city of Kunduz in September.Friday's attack followed a separate Taliban attack on the airport complex in the southern city of Kandahar, in which at least 50 civilians and security forces personnel were killed.Follow VICE News on Twitter: @vicenews