Afghan police say two people have been killed in a suicide attack on a guesthouse used by a foreign security company in central Kabul.
The chief of criminal investigations, Abdul Ghafar Sayedzada, said two bombers detonated their explosives Tuesday, while trying to enter the gate of the compound in the Taimani neighborhood of the Afghan capital. Witnesses say the attackers shot and killed two civilian drivers who worked for British-based Hart Security. One security guard was wounded.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
Although the Afghan capital is heavily fortified with police checkpoints around its perimeter, militants have been able to stage multiple attacks there.
Tuesday's attack occurred as President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the government is working on a plan to disband all Afghan and international private security companies operating in the country. The move has been linked to Mr. Karzai's plans for Afghan forces to take over security responsibilities from international forces by 2014.
Omar told reporters Tuesday that President Karzai has met with NATO military officials to discuss the plan, which in the spokesman's words, "will be implemented at any cost."
The presidential spokesman says Afghan security forces would absorb the work done by up to 40,000 private security personnel. A deadline has not yet been set.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.