At least 7 dead in Taliban siege at Spanish embassy in Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- At least seven people, including six police officers, are dead Saturday after a nine-hour siege by Taliban militants at the Spanish embassy in the Afghan capital.

Authorities said two of the slain officers, Isidro Sanmartin Gabino Hernandez and Jorge Garcia Tudela, were Spanish and the others were Afghans. Nine Afghan citizens were injured.

Friday, Taliban fighters stormed a guesthouse near the Spanish embassy with car bombs and suicide attacks. Explosions and gunfire were heard in Kabul's affluent Sherpur area, the location of several embassies.

A Taliban spokesman said the compound was targeted because it housed foreign intelligence officers and it was part of the Taliban's "regular operations."