Afghan officials say 10 Afghan civilians were killed Tuesday night when heavily armed Taliban militants stormed a luxury hotel in the capital, Kabul.

The officials said early Wednesday the figure did not include at least six suicide bombers who either blew themselves up or were killed by security forces. They cautioned the death toll could still rise.

The attack came on the eve of a conference to discuss the gradual handover of security in Afghanistan to Afghan forces.

Early Wednesday, Interior Ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqi declared the five-hour siege of the Intercontinental Hotel over, saying Afghan security vehicles and ambulances were removing the dead and wounded from the building. Officials say most of the dead were hotel workers.

NATO said two of its helicopters were called in and killed three militants who had taken up positions on the roof of the hotel.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the group was targeting foreign guests. Some of the security conference attendees were staying at the hotel.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department condemned the Taliban attack and said the action once again demonstrated the terrorists' complete disregard for human life. The State Department extended condolences to the families of the victims and indicated that all U.S. diplomatic staff were safe.

Afghan forces are due to take security control of seven areas in Afghanistan beginning in July.

All foreign combat troops are expected to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan and transfer security control to local forces by the end of 2014.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced last week that 10,000 U.S. troops will be pulled out by the end of this year, with 23,000 more leaving Afghanistan by September 2012.

In other violence Tuesday, NATO said three of its service members died in separate insurgent and bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan.

Also in the south, authorities said a roadside bomb killed two women and wounded a child in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.