( CNN ) -- Nine civilians died in an attack on a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital , a government official said Friday . The dead were a mix of Afghans and foreigners , children and adults , according to Gen Mohammad Ayoub Salangi the deputy interior minister . Six people were also injured . The incident began when four teenagers entered the Serena Hotel in central Kabul on Thursday and started shooting randomly , police said . Afghan security forces killed the four gunmen , who police said were all under 18 and were `` government opponents . '' Police said they believe the gunmen entered the hotel by smuggling small pistols in their shoes , then hid in the bathroom for several hours before launching their attack . The hotel also was the site of a shooting , in January 2008 , that killed seven people . The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack . This is latest attack to claim the lives of foreigners in the Afghan capital . Earlier this month , gunmen shot and killed a Swedish journalist in broad daylight . In January , a bomb and gun attack by the Taliban on a restaurant in Kabul killed 21 people , most of them foreigners . Earlier , in eastern Afghanistan , Taliban militants stormed a police station in Jalalabad , and a deadly gunbattle ensued , the country 's Interior Ministry said . At least 11 people were killed and 22 were injured at the station , and at least six attackers were killed , according to a doctor at the hospital . This came as the militant group threatened to carry out attacks before next month 's presidential election . Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed the action to CNN . He said fighters will `` continue to attack the pro-U.S. Afghan establishment . '' Canada pulls out of Kabul as NATO winds down Afghan operations . Suicide blast rips through bazaar in northern Afghanistan . Journalists Zahir Shah Sherazi in Peshawar , Pakistan , and Qadir Sediqui in Kabul contributed to this report .
NEW : Foreigners also died in attacks earlier this month and in Afghanistan . The foreign ##ers are civlians -- a mix of locals and foreigners . Four were shot dead by security forces in Kabul during attack . Gunmen were all under 18 and considered ` ` government opponents ''