Afghan police officers stand guard near the Park Place guesthouse in Kabul early on May 14, 2015. Gunmen stormed a Kabul guesthouse popular with foreigners. (AFP photo)

KABUL: Four Indians and an American were among nine people killed when gunmen stormed a guest house here, trapping several foreign nationals inside and triggering hours-long overnight standoff with Afghan security forces.The attack started at about 9pm on Wednesday night when three gunmen launched a brazen assault at the Park Palace Hotel, popular with foreigners and located in the Kolola Pushta area of the Kabul city.Soon after the gunmen stormed the guest house, Afghan National Security Forces including special forces arrived and began striking back the attackers and also rescuing those under siege inside the guesthouse.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the overnight siege on the Park Palace, which was about to host a concert by a well-known Afghan singer."The attack was planned carefully to target the party in which important people and Americans were attending," the militants said in a statement.Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said security forces rescued 54 people from inside the guest house.All three attackers were killed in the siege that lasted for about seven hours, ending in the wee hours of Thursday morning."Unfortunately a few Indian casualties among others at the Kabul g/house attack today," Indian ambassador Amar Sinha tweeted but official sources later confirmed that four Indians were among the dead.At least six people were also wounded in the attack.United States Embassy in Kabul confirmed the death of one of American national in the attack.A concert attended by foreigners and Afghans was due to begin at the guesthouse around the time the gunmen stormed the place.Taliban have claimed the responsibility for the siege on the guesthouse which has rooms for visitors and a residential area for those who live full-time in Kabul, including foreign aid workers.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on a three-day visit to China, tweeted on Wednesday night, "In the aircraft I got news about the attack in Kabul. Am concerned about the situation & I pray for everyone's safety."The Taliban have stepped up attacks since most foreign forces pulled out at the end of last year.Ousted from power in 2001, the Taliban have been fighting to bring down the US-backed government in Kabul.