Deadly blasts rock central Kabul

At least 17 people were killed and 32 wounded early on Friday, when several suicide bombers attacked a hotel popular with foreigners and the surrounding area in the centre of Kabul, police officials said.

The bombing is the first attack in the Afghan capital since January 18, when teams of suicide bombers and gunmen targeted government buildingsin the centre of the city, leaving 12 dead, including seven attackers.

It is also the first attack in Kabul since the start of a major Nato-led offensive against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from Kabul.