Taliban militants have attacked a foreign guesthouse near the Spanish Embassy in Kabul, killing one Spanish police officer.
Heavy gunfire followed a suicide car bomb explosion in the Sherpour area, a heavily protected district that houses foreign embassies and government buildings.
The area was rocked by more blasts and gunfire overnight as security forces were fighting the attackers.
A Taliban spokesman said the attack targeted "an invader's guest house."
Afghan security officials said seven militants were involved in the attack, in which several people were reported wounded.
Spain said one of its police officers were among them, while embassy staff were safe and unhurt.
The explosion left two houses in flames, said an Afghan police official. "It's possible the attackers are hiding," he said. "We've blocked all the streets and are searching."
Afghan forces formally took over security in the country on January 1 but have struggled to counter a rising wave of Taliban and other Islamist attacks.
Earlier this week, a Taliban attack on the country's second-largest military base, Kandahar Airfield, killed more than 50 people.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters