AFGHAN authorities say a battle with insurgents near Kabul's international airport has ended and all the attackers have been killed.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq Sediqi says two civilians were wounded in today's attack that was apparently targeting NATO's airport headquarters. The attackers had rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and at least one large bomb.

Deputy Kabul police chief Dawood Amin says there were seven attackers. Two blew themselves up with suicide vests and five were shot and killed by police.

It was unclear if the attack had damaged facilities inside the airport. The attackers had taken over a four- to five- story building under construction nearby.

"We closed the Kabul airport runway so that civilian aircraft don't get hit by bullets. They are in a high building that they are shooting from,'' said Yaqub Rassouli, the civilian chief of Kabul airport.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack saying the insurgents were targeting NATO.

It was the latest in a series of attacks against the capital this year.

The Kabul police said in an announcement that attackers- wearing suicide vests and armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns- had occupied a tall building on the west side of the airport and were firing at the military facility. Reports from eyewitnesses on the number of militants involved varied.

Several blasts and bursts of small-arms fire erupted for about one hour shortly after dawn on Monday, with the US embassy sounding its "duck and cover'' alarm.

"There were personnel from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) with Afghan forces but Afghan forces led the operation,'' a coalition spokesman said.

Local govt official: two attackers left, hiding in basement.Security forces have taken adjacent building, trying to force in to finish it. — Jay Price (@JayinKabul) June 10, 2013

The United States Embassy in Kabul has warned US citizens to stay indoors. "Due to reports of explosion near airport, we advise US citizens to remain indoors, exercise caution, avoid airport."

A series of explosions were heard from the direction of the airport and residents heard what sounded like a dozen blasts coming from the direction of the military's facilities. They said the explosions sounded like rocket-propelled grenades along with automatic weapons fire. The explosions could be heard in downtown Kabul, a few kilometres away from the airport, located on the outskirts of the capital.

Loudspeaker on NATO base: "All personnel, remain in the bunkers, remain calm and await further instruction." — Jay Price (@JayinKabul) June 10, 2013

NATO loudspeaker @ nearby base, surreal through explosions and chattering MG's: "... should resolve this in an hour or two, hunker down..." — Jay Price (@JayinKabul) June 10, 2013

The attack seems centred on the United States Air Force facility and a nearby detention centre used to hold drug traffickers.

TOLO news reports the attack is on an area that houses an ISAF/NATO command centre.

Several rockets have also been fired at the US facility.

The US-led NATO coalition's Joint Command headquarters at the airport runs the day-to-day operations of the nearly 12-year-old war against insurgents. The airport's military side is also used for NATO transport and other aircraft.

President Hamid Karzai was on a visit to Qatar but it was unconfirmed whether he was scheduled to return later today.

Kabul last came under attack on May 24, when Taliban militants launched a co-ordinated suicide and gun attack on a compound of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

One policeman, two civilians and all four militants died in that attack, with the government lauding the response of the Kabul security forces for preventing further casualties.

The effectiveness of Afghan security forces is crucial to the government's ability to defeat the Taliban insurgency as NATO-led troops withdraw by the end of 2014.

The police, army and special forces are being trained up by the international coalition, but there are widespread fears that they will not be able to impose security after 12 years of war.

On Saturday, an Afghan soldier shot dead two US soldiers and one US civilian, the latest "insider attack'' to shake efforts by the two armies to work together to defeat the Taliban insurgency.

The killings in the eastern province of Paktika came on the same day that one Italian soldier died when a grenade was thrown into an armoured vehicle in Farah province, in the far west of the country.

.

According to an NDS officer the attack is on international force. Gunshots ongoing. — Ahmad Mukhtar (@AhMukhtar) June 10, 2013

BREAKING: @sharifsahak via head of Kabul Int'l Airport: Suicide bombers have entered US Air Force area. — Micah Grimes (@MicahGrimes) June 10, 2013

News of the attack came just hours after President Hamid Karzai questioned if the US-led war on terror was to blame for radicalising Muslims.

The headquarters for Australia's operations in Afghanistan - Headquarters Joint Task Force 633 - is situated in Kabul, along with elements of the Special Operations Task Group.

###