Taliban attacks guesthouse of U.S.-based charity --- KABUL — The Taliban attacked the offices of a U.S.-based charity Friday, a complex assault that came just over a week before the country’s presidential election. -- The attack, involving a suicide car bombing and four gunmen, was directed at the Roots of Peace facility in the Kart-e-Char neighborhood of southwestern Kabul, the organization’s founder and chief executive, Heidi Kuhn, confirmed in an e-mail. -- After a standoff of several hours, 25 foreign residents of the Roots of Peace guesthouse were released when Afghan forces intervened, killing the four attackers, according to an Associated Press report. An Afghan girl was also killed during the attack. -- Although the attack proved to be less deadly than previous assaults on high-profile targets, it adds to an already tense security environment. The Taliban has pledged to execute attacks across the country that would threaten voters and destabilize the country’s fragile political process. The election is scheduled for April 5. --- In a statement Friday, the Taliban said it had attacked the Roots of Peace guesthouse because it was used by foreigners as a “church used to convert Afghans.” -- The nonprofit organization has no stated religious affiliation. Roots of Peace is a California-based group that has worked in Afghanistan for a decade helping local farmers cultivate vineyards and orchards. According to its Web site, the group has been working in Afghanistan since 2003 and has received millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. - More, Washingtonpost, at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/taliban-attacks-western-guest-house-afghan-officials-say/2014/03/28/d28af42c-b681-11e3-a7c6-70cf2db17781_story.html?hpid=z4