A Taliban suicide bomber and six gunmen have attacked the Afghan parliament as politicians met to consider a new defence minister.
A woman was killed and around 30 civilians were wounded in the attack, according to police.
Today's assault on the symbolic centre of power, along with territorial gains elsewhere, highlight how NATO-trained Afghan security forces are struggling to cope with worsening militant violence.
A district in the volatile north fell to the militants as they intensified a summer offensive.
Fighting has spiralled since the departure of most foreign forces from Afghanistan at the end of last year.
The insurgents are pushing to take territory more than 13 years after US-led military intervention toppled them from power.
Taliban suicide bomber attacks Afghan parliament as MPs meet to appoint new defence minister http://t.co/LlHJl1X62I https://t.co/eNxInceCgm
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 22, 2015Today's attack began as politicians met the new acting defence minister, Masoom Stanikzai.
He is the third candidate so far for the key security post, and his appointment must be confirmed by parliament.
A Taliban fighter detonated a car loaded with explosives outside parliament gates, said Ebadullah Karimi, spokesman for Kabul police, raising questions about how the driver got through several security checkpoints.
Six gunmen took up positions in a building near parliament, he said, but never breached the compound's gates.
Security forces killed the six after a gun battle lasting nearly two hours.
Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said all politicians were safe.
TV pictures showed the speaker sitting calmly and legislators leaving the building, engulfed in dust and smoke, without panicking.
The assailants were armed with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.
Some politicians' bodyguards fired sporadically during the attack, hampering the response by Afghan forces, he added.
Police will investigate how the attackers got so close to parliament.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility.
"We have launched an attack on parliament as there was an important gathering to introduce the country's defence minister," he said by phone, referring to Mr Stanikzai.
