An Afghan official says that at least six people have been killed in Taliban attack near the Spanish embassy in the capital, Kabul.

Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said on Saturday that four Afghan police officers and two others, including a foreigner, were killed in the attack.

Seven civilians and two policemen were wounded, Sediqqi said. Twelve foreign citizens were rescued by Afghan forces during the operation, he added.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to media outlets.

The attack took place in the Kabul district of Shir Pur, which is home to many foreign embassies, guesthouses and the homes of high-ranking government officials. It took local security forces more than 10 hours to bring the area back under control.

The Kabul attack came two days after another massive Taliban attack on the main airport in the southern city of Kandahar, which lasted more than 24 hours and killed more than 50 people. The casualties from the Kandahar attack, which ended Wednesday night, included 38 civilians, 10 Afghan soldiers and two police officers, according to the Ministry of Defense.