A hotel catering to foreign visitors in Kabul was attacked on Monday and three of the assailants were killed, a Taliban official said.

Two foreigners were injured when they jumped out of the windows to escape, said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s spokesman.

Residents reported explosions and gunfire and photos and video posted on social media showed smoke from the building. Khalid Zadran, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the attack lasted several hours. He said a “clean-up” operation was ongoing.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan province and a rival of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban — has increased its attacks since the Taliban takeover of the country last year.

A resident of the Shar-e-Naw neighbourhood where the attack took place said he heard explosions and then several gunshots. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from Taliban officials.

Taliban forces rushed to the area and blocked all roads leading to the site. Another resident in the neighbourhood said he and his family were staying inside their home about three blocks away from the attack site.

He also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Sources said a fire broke out on one of the floors, adding that they expect casualties. A video posted on Twitter by a journalist in Kabul showed smoke billowing out of a multi-storey building, with one lower floor on fire. The video could not be independently verified by Reuters.

Residents of the area said the attack was carried out ata building where Chinese and other foreigners usually stay. The shooting continued after they heard a powerful explosion, they said.

A spokesman of the Taliban-run Afghan administration, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed to Reuters of an attack in Kabul, but said they would not be able to provide more information at this stage.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the attack took place near a Chinese guesthouse and that its embassy in Kabul was closely monitoring the situation.

The embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.