Insurgents have attacked an Afghan army unit guarding a military academy in the capital Kabul killing at least two soldiers and wounding 10 others.
A suicide bomber first attacked the army unit responsible for providing security for the military academy, and the attack was followed by a gun battle in which two soldiers were killed, said Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry.
Mr Waziri said at least 10 other soldiers were wounded in the attack carried out by five insurgents. He said two insurgents were killed in the gun battle and one was arrested by soldiers.
The attack started around 4am local time on Monday (11.30pm GMT on Sunday), witnesses said, and fighting was continuing after daybreak.
Afzal Aman, commander of the Army Garrison, confirmed that an army unit was attacked with hand grenades around the area of the Marshal Fahim academy.
Attacks have also increased recently in Kabul.
An attacker drove an ambulance filled with explosives into the heart of the city on Saturday, killing at least 103 people and wounding another 235.
Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak said on Sunday the attack involved a second ambulance that left the area, indicating some attackers escaped.
The Taliban claimed that attack, as well as an attack a week earlier in which militants stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul, killing 22 people, including 14 foreigners, and setting off a 13-hour battle with security forces.
Masoom Stanekzai, the head of Afghanistan’s intelligence service, said five suspects have been arrested for their involvement in the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel and that another had fled the country.
He said four people have been arrested in connection with Saturday’s attack.
