Kabul, January 18 (RHC)-- The death toll from a bombing and shooting attack at a Lebanese restaurant in central Kabul has reached 21. The Lebanese restaurant in Kabul's central district of Wazir Akbar Khan came under attack on Friday. A bomber blew up his explosives near the entrance of the restaurant and then two gunmen stormed in to spray diners with bullets.

The district in the Afghan capital is home to many embassies and restaurants catering for expatriates. Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the assault.

Four United Nations staff as well as the International Monetary Fund's representative in Afghanistan, Wabel Abdallah, were among the dead. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the attack, while IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde called the news "tragic."

A Taliban spokesman said in a message posted on Twitter that the assault was in reprisal for a U.S. airstrike that killed eight people in Parwan Province earlier this week.