( CNN ) -- A staff reporter for the Agence France-Presse news agency , his wife and two of his three children were among nine civilians killed in an attack on a hotel in the Afghan capital , the news agency said Friday . The incident began when four teenagers entered the Serena Hotel in central Kabul on Thursday and started shooting randomly , according to police . AFP said journalist Sardar Ahmad started working for the news agency in 2003 and went on to become its senior reporter in Kabul , `` covering all aspects of life , war and politics in his native country '' and specializing in security issues . He also founded the Kabul Pressistan private news agency , AFP said . The hotel was hosting special celebrations at the time of the attack to mark the eve of the Persian New Year , or Nowruz , AFP said . Nowruz is a major holiday in Afghanistan . Gen. Mohammad Ayoub Salangi , the deputy interior minister , said Thursday that those killed included Afghans and foreigners , children and adults . Six people were also injured . Afghan security forces killed the four gunmen , who police said were under 18 and were `` government opponents . '' Police said they believe the gunmen entered the hotel by smuggling small pistols in their shoes and 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 . Thursday 's attack was the latest to claim the lives of foreigners in the Afghan capital . This month , gunmen shot and killed a Swedish journalist . In January , a bomb and gun attack by the Taliban on a restaurant in Kabul killed 21 people , most of them foreigners . Earlier Thursday , in eastern Afghanistan , Taliban militants stormed a police station in Jalalabad , the country 's Interior Ministry said . At least 11 people were killed and 22 were injured in the ensuing gunbattle , and at least six attackers were killed , according to a doctor at the hospital . The militant group has threatened to carry out attacks before next month 's presidential election . Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid 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 . CNN 's Ed Payne contributed to this report .
AFP chief staff reporter Sardar Ahmad is among those killed in an attack on a Serena hotel . His wife and two of his children were also among the people who died , news agency says . Police say four men with pistols carried out the attack in the Serena Hotel .