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Gunmen have stormed a guesthouse in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing five people including an American as the venue hosted a party for foreigners, the Guardian reports.

Three attackers armed with AK-47 rifles made their way into the Park Palace guesthouse in the Kolola Pushta neighbourhood a little after 8pm, said Hasib Sadiqi, a spokesman for the intelligence agency, NDS.

An hours-long siege followed which ended early on Thursday morning with another six people wounded and 54 hostages rescued.

The attack happened during a celebration that featured a musical performance by the Indian singer Altaf Hussein. According to witnesses there were many Indian and Turkish nationals among the guests, alongside Afghan foreign ministry officials.

Ahmad Zia Massoud, a former vice-president, told local media that he believed the attackers had meant to target the Indian ambassador, whom they had mistakenly thought was at the gathering.

During the day, before the attack, the Park Palace had hosted a training conference for local and international NGO workers. According to a participant they had all left the hotel by the time of the attack.