Four or five Taliban militants were firing from several floors of a building in Kabul as part of an attack on targets including Nato's coalition headquarters in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, police said.
"There are four or five people, fighting is under way. They're in the building. They have mortars, rockets and guns," said Kabul criminal investigations police chief Mohammad Zahir.
An AFP reporter said firing was taking place on several floors of the building, which is under construction close to an Afghan army installation and the city's Marriott hotel, which is also still being built.
Afghan security forces were firing back.
The Nato coalition headquarters in Kabul is next to the city's US embassy.
The Taliban said the ongoing assault on multiple targets, which an AFP reporter said involved mortar rounds, rockets and small arms fire, began with a suicide attack targeting local and foreign intelligence buildings.