Afghan officials say at least two people have been killed and five wounded after militants attacked a government building in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
Militants attacked the building of the provincial education department in the eastern city of Jalalabad on July 11, sparking an ongoing gunbattle with security forces.
Attaullah Khugyani, a provincial government spokesman, said government forces were attempting to clear the militants from the building and rescue the workers. It was not clear how many gunmen or employees were inside.
Khugyani said there had been at least two explosions at the scene of the attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the third in the past two weeks in the city.
Both the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) extremist group have carried out numerous attacks in Nangarhar Province.
On July 10, a suicide bombing close to a security checkpoint In Jalalabad killed at least 12 people. IS militants claimed responsibility.
On July 1, a suicide bomber targeted a group of Hindus and Sikhs in Jalalabad, killing at least 19 people and wounding some 20 others.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa