16 killed in suicide attack at Kabul restaurant

A Taliban suicide bomber and two gunmen attacked a Lebanese restaurant in Kabul that is popular with foreigners and affluent Afghans, killing 16 people, including foreigners dining inside and two other gunmen, officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility within an hour of the attack on La Taverna du Liban, part of a stepped-up a campaign of violence against foreign and government interests to send a message that they are not going anywhere as the US-led coalition winds down its combat mission at the end of the year.