KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A suicide attack on a Lebanese restaurant in a Kabul neighborhood with many embassies killed at least 16 people Friday night, Afghan police said.
Some of the dead were from outside Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reported. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the restaurant was targeted because it caters to foreign diplomats.
In an email sent after the explosion, the Taliban described the target as "a foreign restaurant where foreign invaders were having dinner," the New York Times reported.
Gen. Zahir Zahir, Kabul's police chief, said one attacker blew himself up outside the restaurant about 7:30 p.m., while two got inside, the Journal said. He said the restaurant was cleared by 10 p.m.
Many embassies are located in the Wazir Akber Khan neighborhood, along with guesthouses for foreigners working in Kabul and the offices of international organizations. The restaurant is near the Norwegian Embassy, the Times said.
No U.S. Embassy employees were killed, a U.S. official said.
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