Explosions, gunfire in Kabul diplomatic area

KABUL: Sporadic bursts of gunfire and heavy explosions rocked a diplomatic district of the Afghan capital late Tuesday, with police saying a guesthouse is believed to be the target of the ongoing attack.
“An unknown number of armed men have attacked what at this stage we believe is a guest house in Wazir Akbar Khan district,” Kabul police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi told AFP.
“They are using hand grenades and explosions can be heard. Security forces are at the scene trying to contain the attack,” he added. An AFP reporter near the scene heard the loud crackle of gunfire and more than a dozen rounds of explosions from the area in the space of an hour.
Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said security officials were trying to confirm the target of the assault in Wazir Akbar Khan, home to several foreign embassies and diplomatic compounds which has been hit by Taliban attacks in the past.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday´s assault, which comes as the Taliban intensify their annual spring-summer offensive.