A militant attack on Saturday in the heart of Kabul left two policemen and as many militants dead, an official said.
Several policemen were also injured in the attack.
Around 1:30 pm a group of insurgents stormed the District 1 police headquarters, located in a bustling part of the capital near the Pul-i-Baghi Omomi Bridge.
Dressed in military uniform, the attackers wielded Kalashnikovs and a rocket launcher. They entered the police station and started firing at security personnel, Police Chief Mohammad Ayub Salangi, told Pajhwok Afghan News.
Two policemen were killed and several others were wounded, he said. Two attackers were also killed when the police returned fire, he added.
A civilian was also injured in the crossfire.
A Pajhwok reporter saw the dead body an attacker, who seemed to be about 25 years old. He wore a military uniform and had clean-shaven face, the reporter said.
“I was cleaning a vehicle when armed men shot two policemen manning the police station gate and then entered the building,” a worker of the nearby Kabul Revenue Department, Nazifullah, said.
He said his brother, who is also an employee of the Revenue Department, was injured in the melee.
Shopkeepers in the busy commercial area closed their stores shortly after the gun battle began.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack. He said three fighters were involved in the assault.
