Afghanistan conflict: Four Taliban die in Kabul attack

The attack resulted in an overnight gun battle in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, home to several embassies and official buildings.

The Taliban says it launched the attack. It lasted at least six hours.

The assailants were armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher and other weapons, the interior ministry said.

No civilian or military casualties were reported.

"Four attackers who had one RPG launcher, three AK-47s and one grenade launcher were killed in Wazir Akbar Khan," deputy interior minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said on Twitter.

The four gunmen were killed before reaching their target, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said.

Afghanistan's interior ministry told the BBC that the target was the former Heetal guesthouse, that was attacked by the Taliban in December 2009 and is now officially known as the Rabbani Guesthouse.

It is popular with foreigners and is owned by the Rabbani family, including Afghanistan's current Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, and its former president, Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Earlier, Kabul police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi said the attackers had taken position among the trees behind the guesthouse.

The hotel manager told AFP news agency that all guests were in safe rooms and no-one was hurt.

"Heetal is very well fortified. After one or two initial explosions, our guards started firing on attackers who were unable to get inside," he said.

Correspondents say that the attackers appear to have tried to enter the hotel by firing a rocket propelled grenade at its heavy steel front gate.