Kabul  - Militants entered a house Wednesday morning in central Kabul, touching off a gunbattle with police, a police officer in the area said.

An explosion also shook the area, and a plume of smoke could be seen rising from the neighbourhood, where offices and residential compounds for expatriates are located.

Who was carrying out the attack was not immediately known, but Taliban militants have stormed buildings in the Afghan capital recently, including government offices and a bank a day before the August 20 presidential election. (dpa)