Attackers in Afghanistan took over a central Kabul hotel close to
the presidential palace, United Nations office and many foreign
embassies, a local police official said Sunday, amid what seemed to a
wave of coordinated attacks around the country.
Four suicide bombers
tried to attack the Jalalabad airfield where United States troops are
based, the airfield commander said. One of the attackers blew himself
up, while police intercepted the other three, commander Jahan Ngir said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks in a text message to CNN and on Twitter.
"Several suicide bombers
launched attacks around different parts of Kabul, including ISAF/NATO
headquarters, Afghan Parliament building, and the whole of the
diplomatic quarter. The fighting is still ongoing and so far there has
been a large loss of the enemy," the Islamist militia said.
NATO's International
Security Assistance Force confirmed "multiple attacks across Kabul" in
up to seven locations, but said there were no of casualties.
The United States embassy went into lock down, spokesman Gavin Sundwall said, calling it "standard operating procedure."
He said all staff were "accounted for and safe," and that the embassy had no reports of injuries to its personnel.
Journalists heard
gunfire, explosions and rocket-propelled grenade fire lasting more than
an hour in central Kabul on Sunday morning.
The heavily guarded area is frequented by foreigners and is rarely the scene of violence.