Kabul, Aug 16 (IANS): Armed militants attacked a National Directorate of Security (NDS) training centre here on Thursday and heavy clashes were ongoing, officials said.

The attack began at 10.15 a.m. when the assailants took up positions in a building site close to the training centre for Afghanistan's intelligence agency in Qala-e-Wazir and opened fire, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said.

"The attackers were using machine guns to target the training centre," he was cited as saying by Efe news.

The number of attackers and casualties was still unknown.

Kabul Police spokesperson Hashmat Stanekzai told TOLO News that security forces cordoned off the area and were trying to evacuate residents in the surroundings.

The training centre was also attacked by the Islamic State terror organization on December 2017, which led to the death of three insurgents and left two soldiers wounded after a five-hour long shootout.

The incident came after a suicide attack on an educational centre in Dasht-e-Barchi locality of Kabul on Wednesday claimed 48 lives.

In July, six people, including four members of the intelligence agency, were killed in an attack on an NDS convoy.