Three Taliban commanders were killed on the outskirts of Kabul on Monday morning, after they laid siege to Northgate Hotel, which houses foreign contractors in the Afghanistan capital. A major explosion took place at 1.25 am (local time), with various reports attributing it to a truck bomb. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack.

A gunbattle with the police went on for more than three hours, AFP reported. At least one policeman was injured. The hotel housed military and logistics personnel, mainly from overseas, and was heavily guarded. Power outages were reported from Kabul after the blast.