Roundup: Taliban claims shooting attack at Kabul hotel

The Taliban has on Thursday claimed responsibility for a shooting attack at a guest house in Afghan capital of Kabul overnight Wednesday that which has left five people dead, including three foreigners.

The attack occurred at the Park Palace Hotel frequented by foreigners at around 08:30 p.m. local time Wednesday. The counter attack ended early Thursday morning.

At least five people, including a U.S. citizen and two Indians, were killed and six others wounded during the shootout, according to Kabul police.

Further details about the incident are still forthcoming amid the absence of official statement.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, told local media that one Taliban fighter named Mohammad Idress carried out the shooting, killing and injuring several foreigners.

Some 54 guests were rescued by Afghan Special Forces, the Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters earlier on Thursday.

Rahimi also confirmed that one gunman was involved in the incident while unofficial sources earlier said three people carried out the shooting. They said 11 people died in the attack.

"Our security forces arrived on time. They responded to the attack skilfully and rescued 54 people from the targeted building, " Rahimi said.

"A dinner party was underway when the shooting began. A respected Afghan singer Eltaf Houssain was at the hotel for a concert. He survived the shooting," witness Mohammad Naqib told Xinhua near the site.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since April 24 when the militant group launched its so-called annual spring offensive in different places of the militancy-plagued Afghanistan which had claimed hundreds of lives including militants, security personnel and civilians.

The Taliban urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government.

The Taliban said the Kabul attack was part of their spring offensive which is targeting government officials and their foreign backers.

According to Taliban's claim, the casualties are much higher than the official figures.

On Wednesday morning, three police and two civilians were killed while five police wounded after two gunmen entered a local mosque in Lashkar Gah, capital of southern Helmand province and fired on the nearby government office buildings.

The militant group also claimed responsibility for Helmand shooting.

Nearly 3,700 civilians were killed and more than 6,800 others wounded in conflicts and Taliban-led attacks in 2014, according to official figures released by UN mission in the country.

The officials blamed the attacks of Taliban insurgents and other armed groups for vast majority of the civilian deaths and injuries. Endi