Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Attackers in Afghanistan took over a central Kabul hotel close to the presidential palace, United Nations office and many foreign embassies, a local police official said Sunday, amid what seemed to be a wave of coordinated attacks around the country. Four suicide bombers tried to attack the Jalalabad airfield where United States troops are based, the airfield commander said. One of the attackers blew himself up, while police intercepted the other three, commander Jahan Ngir said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks in a text message to CNN and on Twitter. "Several suicide bombers launched attacks around different parts of Kabul, including ISAF/NATO headquarters, Afghan Parliament building, and the whole of the diplomatic quarter. The fighting is still ongoing and so far there has been a large loss of the enemy," the Islamist militia said.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force confirmed "multiple attacks across Kabul" in up to seven locations, but said there were no reports of casualties.The United States embassy went into lock down, spokesman Gavin Sundwall said, calling it "standard operating procedure." He said all staff were "accounted for and safe," and that the embassy had no reports of injuries to its personnel. CNN journalists heard gunfire, explosions and rocket-propelled grenade fire lasting more than an hour in central Kabul on Sunday morning.
The heavily guarded area is frequented by foreigners and is rarely the scene of violence.
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