Taliban Claims Responsibility for Attack Killing 2 Americans Inside Afghan Foreign Ministry

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a shooting that killed two U.S. advisers in the Afghan interior ministry Saturday, saying the attack was in retaliation for the burning of Korans on a U.S. base.

NATO confirmed two service members were killed by "an individual" who turned his weapon on them. Afghan officials confirmed the two dead were Americans. According to Reuters, they were believed to be a U.S. colonel and major.

"There was a shooting inside the command and control center of the interior ministry and two Americans have been killed," a government source told Agence France Presse.

According to CNN, an Afghan official said the two officers were found dead in their office with gunshot wounds to the head.

Gen. John Allen, commander of NATO and U.S. forces, recalled all NATO personnel from Afghan ministries for safety reasons in response.

"I condemn today's attack at the Afghan Ministry of Interior that killed two of our coalition officers, and my thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the brave individuals lost today," Allen said. "The perpetrator of this attack is a coward whose actions will not go unanswered."

U.S. officials said the assailant remained at large and a manhunt was under way.

"The attacker is still alive and resisting and a second Mujahid managed to escape the ministry," Taliban Zabiullah Mujahid said in an email, according to CNN. "This comes amid our call to all Afghan security forces to turn their guns towards the invading forces who are the real enemies of our country and religion and kill them so they leave our country."

The shooting comes on the fifth day of protests and riots across the nation. At least 28 people have been killed and hundreds wounded since Tuesday, when it first emerged that Qurans and other religious materials had been thrown into a fire pit used to burn garbage at Bagram Air Field, a large U.S. base north of Kabul.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post has been updated since it was first published.