Two suicide bombers have attacked a British compound in the Afghan

capital, killing at least eight people and wounding two, according to

police and eyewitnesses.

The twin blasts were followed by sporadic gunfire exchanges that have

continued for several hours.

One suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car outside the British Council offices, while the second struck inside the compound, according to Afghan police.

Afghan security forces dispatched to the scene said they had exchanged gunfire with insurgents who got into the compound. The stand-off was still going on four hours after the initial blasts.

Up to three assailants were still inside the British Council building

fighting against Afghan security forces and Nato troops, Kabul police

spokesman Hashmatullah Stanikzai said.

"We think there might be foreigners trapped inside, so we do not want

to take any serious action at present," Stanikzai said.

A British embassy spokesman in Kabul confirmed the attack against the

British Council, but declined to say whether there were foreigners

inside. "We are coordinating with the Afghan security forces," he

said.

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, has claimed responsibility.

The two blasts occurred on Friday morning, in the early hours of Afghan Independence Day, marking Afghanistan's full independence from Britain in 1919. It was unclear whether the attack was related to the anniversary.

Kabul police official Farooq Asas said a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives outside the compound. At least one insurgent attacked the compound on foot, Asas said.

Two Afghan policemen and a municipal worker were killed, he said.

The explosions shattered glass in buildings a third of a mile from the site. There were reports of gunfire at the scene and smoke rising from the area.

Afghan police said at least one other attacker got inside the compound and was exchanging gunfire with Afghan troops two hours after the initial blast.

Afghan and British troops were dispatched to the scene early on Friday morning and made preparations to secure the compound.

The British Council focuses on education and building civil society internationally.

While violence continues to rage in many parts of Afghanistan, attacks in the capital are relatively uncommon. In June, 21 people were killed at a Kabul hotel, including nine insurgents, with militants fighting Nato and Afghan troops for five hours with rocket-propelled grenades and suicide bombs.

In western Afghanistan on Thursday, a roadside bomb killed at least 21 people travelling on a minibus.

Meanwhile, in the east of the country on the same day, a suicide car bomber attacked a coalition base, killing two Afghan security guards, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

A recent UN report said the number of Afghan civilians killed in war-related violence rose 15% in the first half of this year. The UN said 1,462 Afghan civilians lost their lives compared with 1,271 in the same period in 2010.