British security firm says five employees killed in Kabul assault

G4S said 32 more employees were injured, condemning the attack as unprovoked and criminal

An Afghan soldier stands guard at the site of an attack a day after a car bomb blast, which targeted a British security contractor group G4S, in Kabul. EPA

A British security firm has confirmed five of its staff were killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul on Wednesday night.

G4S, a global security company, said the five employees' next of kin had been informed, saying "we are committed to our security role in support of the people of Afghanistan".

One of the employees was a British citizen, while four Afghan nationals were killed.

The company also said 32 of their employees were injured, five of them seriously, in what they called "an unprovoked, criminal attack".

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said was in response to at least 30 civilians killed by airstrikes in southern Helmand province.

At least seven more people were killed in the attack after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives, followed by a gun battle with other insurgents.

In a separate attack in the Taimani area of Kabul, gunmen targeted the house of Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan's former intelligence chief head of the Green Party movement.

The attack came amid increasing pressure by both Nato and President Ashraf Ghani's government, to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

On Wednesday, Mr Ghani said he had formed a 12-person negotiating team and a road map to peace, who are expected to meet in Spring ahead of the country's presidential elections.

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