German woman, Afghan guard killed in Kabul guesthouse attack

KABUL — A German woman was fatally shot and an Afghan guard was reportedly beheaded at a guesthouse after insurgents stormed the compound. A Finnish woman was also missing and possibly kidnapped after the attack late Saturday in Kabul, police said.

No group has asserted responsibility, but security officials and foreign embassies have been warning that either the Afghan Taliban or foreign-linked Islamic State militias would probably stage high-profile attacks in the capital as the holy month of Ramadan is set to begin this week.

The guard at the guesthouse, which is run by a Swedish aid group, was reportedly beheaded, a method often used by the Islamic State and generally not practiced by the Taliban. Then, according to a spokesman for the Interior Ministry on Sunday, the attackers went to a second-floor room where the two women were asleep, shot one dead and abducted the other.

The victims’ names were not immediately made public. None of the assailants were caught.

Security officials said two additional foreign women in the house were unharmed and that an intensive investigation was underway to find the assailants. The Finnish Embassy confirmed that a Finnish citizen was missing.