Gunmen attack Afghan capital guesthouse used by foreigners

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Gunmen stormed a guesthouse in the Afghan capital popular with both foreigners and locals Wednesday night, launching a siege of the building and apparently taking some guests hostage, authorities said.

Details about how many people were held at Kabul's Park Palace Hotel remained unclear into the night, as sporadic gunfire echoed around the guesthouse in a central neighborhood home to United Nations compounds and a foreign-run hospital. The hotel has both guest rooms for visitors and a residential area for those who live full time in Kabul, including foreign aid workers.

Police officers freed some 20 people trapped in the guesthouse, but others remained inside, said Zia Massoud, an Afghan government official. He said at least one of those people was wounded.

Amar Sinha, India's ambassador to Afghanistan, said he believed at least six people still held inside were Indian citizens. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Twitter account said he was "concerned about the situation (and) I pray for everyone's safety."

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though the Taliban have attacked guesthouses before in Kabul.

Earlier Wednesday, gunmen killed 12 people and wounded 12 in an attack on a government compound in the city of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, authorities said.

Afghan security forces have been struggling to fend off Taliban attacks since U.S. and NATO forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of last year.