Taliban gunmen have attacked Kabul airport occupying nearby buildings and forcing flights to be diverted elsewhere.
It is the latest in a series of attacks against key targets in the Afghan capital as militant groups try to thwart Western efforts to hand security to local forces.
Officials said the gun battle ended some four hours after it began, leaving seven attackers dead and two civilians wounded, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Dawood Amin, deputy Kabul police chief, said two blew themselves up with suicide vests and five were shot and killed by police.
Explosions and the sound of fire arms were heard around the airport, which serves both civilians and military – containing a large base for the US-led Nato coalition.
The attacks are part of a strategy which analysts say is designed to call into question the ability of Afghan forces to combat the Taliban as 100,000 Nato-led troops withdraw by the end of 2014.
