Taliban attack on Kabul hotel kills nine civilians

KABUL, Mar 21 (AFP): At least nine civilians including children and foreigners were killed in a Taliban attack on a luxury hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan's interior ministry said Friday, the latest violence to hit the country just weeks before the presidential election.

Four teenage gunmen with pistols hidden in their socks managed to penetrate several layers of security at the Serena hotel, a prestigious venue favoured by foreign visitors to the capital, on Thursday night.

The attack was claimed by the Taliban, who have vowed a campaign of violence to disrupt the April 5 poll.