Story highlights
NEW: The Taliban claim responsibility for the attack on the hotel
Police say five people were killed in the siege, which lasted for hours
Security forces killed three armed assailants behind the attack
Five people were killed in an attack at a hotel in Afghanistan’s capital that left guests trapped inside as gunfire erupted, police said.
A U.S. citizen was among the dead, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Monica L. Cummings said. On Twitter, India’s ambassador to Afghanistan said citizens of his country were among the casualties.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the group said in a statement.
The siege began when gunmen stormed the Park Palace Guest House hotel in Kabul at about 8 p.m. Wednesday (11:30 a.m. ET).
It ended more than five hours later, Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said, after Afghan special forces killed the three armed assailants behind the attack.
Security forces rescued more than 50 people from the hotel, including trapped guests, the police chief said. Of the dozens rescued, at least five people were wounded, Rahimi said.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
CNN’s Catherine E. Shoichet and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.