9 June 2013 Last updated at 21:00 ET
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Suspected militants have launched an attack close to the main airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul, security forces say.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions and gunfire coming from the airport shortly after dawn.
It is not known if there are any casualties.
The airport is home to a large Nato-led military base. One report said the US embassy in Kabul had sounded its "duck and cover" alarm.
The embassy also announced on loudspeakers that the alarm was not a drill, AFP news agency said.
"It's an ongoing gunfight and blasts, and I can tell you that it's a suicide group attack," Kabul's police chief Hashmat Stanikzai told AFP.
He said he was unable to confirm the target of the attack but the explosions came from close to the airport in the north-east of the city.
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.
Continue reading the main story
Suspected militants have launched an attack close to the main airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul, security forces say.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions and gunfire coming from the airport shortly after dawn.
It is not known if there are any casualties.
The airport is home to a large Nato-led military base. One report said the US embassy in Kabul had sounded its "duck and cover" alarm.
The embassy also announced on loudspeakers that the alarm was not a drill, AFP news agency said.
"It's an ongoing gunfight and blasts, and I can tell you that it's a suicide group attack," Kabul's police chief Hashmat Stanikzai told AFP.
He said he was unable to confirm the target of the attack but the explosions came from close to the airport in the north-east of the city.
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.