At least six people were killed in Kabul during a terrorist attack

“It was an attack against some guesthouses close to the embassy”, Rajoy said, adding that all embassy staff had been evacuated as Afghan special forces cordoned off the area in Kabul’s Sherpur district.

But Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy said the attack was directed at the embassy guesthouse, not the embassy building itself.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Taliban taunted authorities with the “shame and humiliation” of not being able to prevent an attack in the heart of the capital.

Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said four Afghan police officers and two others, including a foreigner, were killed in the attack that was claimed by the Taliban.

KABUL-At least seven people have been killed in a Taliban attack near the Spanish embassy in the capital, Kabul, the government said.

The attack began at about 6pm (13:30 GMT) on Friday in a heavily protected part of Kabul, when a suicide attacker detonated a auto bomb near the guest house, allowing three attackers to take up positions and open fire on security forces.

Later, Ghani dismissed some NDS officials, including the provincial chief of the agency, who he said had neglected their duty to defend Kunduz.

The Council reiterated its serious concern at the threats posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) affiliates, and illegal armed groups to the local population, national security forces, and global presence in Afghanistan.

The ministry said that the crisis-response team of the Kabul police had rescued 12 guests. He also said his solidarity was with all the Spanish that have worked and still work in Afghanistan and sent them love and affection.

Hours prior to the attacks, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani stated hopefulness about the peace talks with the Taliban.

As the president held talks in Islamabad on Wednesday, at least 50 people were killed in a long Taliban siege of Kandahar airport, the largest military installation in southern Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, the country’s security had been taken over by the Afghanistan military from the hands of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, but since then it had struggled to maintain the peace and order in the war torn nation. “You answer me”, Mr Ghani told a press conference on Friday.

Taliban spokesman Mujahid said there were heavy casualties. “Telling them to come to the peace table is stupidity”.

“Expecting us to surrender and come for talks is foolishness”.