KABUL, Afghanistan, and NEW DELHI -- The Taliban carried out a coordinated attack Sunday on embassies, parliament and NATO headquarters in the most heavily protected areas of Kabul, a brazen display of growing confidence as foreign combat troops prepare to leave the country by 2014.

There were also reports of attacks in the two eastern cities of Gardez and Jalalabad.

The Afghan government said it had surrounded the locations in the capital occupied by the militants and had the situation under control.

The first sign of trouble in Kabul came when explosions erupted in the Akbar Khan neighborhood housing a number of diplomatic missions and NATO headquarters. This was followed almost immediately by gunfire, with smoke seen rising from several buildings on a brisk spring day as sirens screamed. Heavy gunfire continued for at least 30 minutes after the initial blasts.

Militants in a tall building fired rockets in several directions, the Associated Press reported, with some apparently focused on the nearby British Embassy. About the same time, the German and Russian embassies also reportedly came under fire.

The U.S. Embassy entered lockdown status on hearing the explosions and gunfire, spokesman Gavin Sundwall said, which he described as standard operating procedure in such situations, adding that all personnel were accounted for and safe.

This was followed by reports of a blast and gunfire near the parliament building on the other side of Kabul, with Turkish forces at their base on Kabul’s outskirts as well as an Afghan military academy also reportedly coming under direct mortar attack. All told, about seven sites were targeted, said NATO's International Security Assistance Force, adding that it had no immediate information on the number of confirmed casualties.