Soldiers from Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), launched the raid in darkness, entering a building about an hour after midnight in Kabul's Pul-e Charkhi district which the insurgents were using as a base.

"We have already killed eight insurgents and also seized explosives. They aimed to enter a building in Kabul and launch a combined attack on security forces, government offices or offices belonging to foreigners," an NDS spokesman told Reuters.

The Taliban issued a statement denying that Thursday's operation was against their fighters, although the insurgents often play down their defeats and inflate successes.