Taliban storm aid workers' hostel and attack Camp Bastion
Taliban fighters have launched an attack on a guesthouse in Kabul, and an assault on Camp Bastion, in a sign of how rapidly the country's security situation is deteriorating
An Afghan policeman stands guard at the site of an attack in Kabul Photo: REX
Taliban gunmen stormed a guest house for foreign aid workers in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks as international combat forces leave the country.
It came as Afghan forces fought militants who overran Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand, a month after it was vacated by British forces, and days after the Taliban killed a Scottish security guard in an attack on a diplomatic convoy.
The attacks appear designed to coincide with a conference in London next week, when donors will promise support for Afghanistan beyond the end of the year and the end of Nato-led combat operations.
Security officials said two gunmen wearing suicide vests entered a compound used by foreigners late on Saturday afternoon.
Local reporters said two foreigners and an Afghan were among the dead.
Some reports said the target was a guesthouse run by South Africans while others said it was used by Europeans working for the Afghan government.
Qadam Shah Shaheem, commander of the Afghan army's 111 Military Corps, said eight people including two foreigners had been rescued by special forces from the guesthouse. All three attackers were killed, he added.
It was the second attack in three days to target living quarters of international aid workers, and the 11th attack in 16 days in the capital.
The Taliban claimed responsibility. A spokesman said fighters had targeted a Christian organisation seeking to convert Muslims.
On Thursday morning, a suicide bomber rammed his Toyota Corolla into a British embassy armoured car. At least five people died including Ronnie Jessiman, a former soldier working for G4S.
Analysts believe the activity is designed to send a message that the Taliban pose a potent threat as the country's new president, Ashraf Ghani, ponders life beyond the end of the year when Afghan forces must keep insurgents at bay without the backing of international troops.
At least five Afghan soldiers died on Friday night fighting militants in Camp Bastion. They claimed to have killed 26 attackers but were still trying to regain control of the base on Saturday.
