Taliban suicide bombers targeted guesthouses in downtown Kabul on Friday, killing 16 people including Westerners and Indians in one of the deadliest attacks on foreigners in the Afghan capital.The Islamist militia, which is waging a bitter insurgency against the US-backed Afghan government and more than 121,000 foreign troops based in the country, claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to AFP.
A car bomb exploded and two smaller blasts resounded over downtown Kabul, heralding what police called a "well-planned and coordinated attack" soon after dawn as Afghanistan commemorated the birth of Muslim prophet Mohammed.
The attacks killed 16 people, including an Italian diplomatic adviser, a Frenchman and nine Indians, officials said. Another 38 people were wounded, including eight foreigners, police said.