Gun and rocket attack near Kabul airport
9 June 2013 Last updated at 23:19 ET
Afghanistan: Gun and rocket attack near Kabul airport
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David Loyn: "This is an Afghan response to an Afghan situation"
Taliban Conflict
Militants armed with heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades have launched an attack near the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul.
Kabul police told the BBC that the gunmen were firing from a five-storey building under construction close to the airport.
The Taliban has said it carried out the attack.
The BBC's David Loyn at the scene says police are in the building and clearing it floor by floor.
He says the operation is being carried out by an Afghan police rapid reaction force with no help from international forces.
It is not yet known if there are any casualties.
All flights have been cancelled in and out of Kabul international airport, which is home to a large Nato-led military base.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions and gunfire coming from the airport shortly after dawn on Monday.
"Gunmen have entered a house under construction in the west of Kabul airport and are fighting with security forces," Kabul police spokesman Hashmatullah Stanekzai said.
"Their target is Kabul airport and all roads to it are sealed," he added.
Our correspondent says helicopters are circling the area and there are still occasional bursts of gunfire and explosions.
Embassies in the diplomatic area of Kabul were quickly locked down.
Reports said the US embassy had sounded its "duck and cover" alarm and announced on loudspeakers that the alarm was not a drill.
Alarms were also heard ringing loudly from the British embassy.
The Taliban announced a "spring offensive" in April, saying it would target foreign military bases and diplomatic areas.
Last month, Afghan security forces fought Taliban insurgents for hours in the centre of Kabul after a major explosion shook the city.
Most international troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Afghan forces are due to take responsibility for the security of the whole country in the next few months, for the first time since 1992.
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