The Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack on the presidential palace in Kabul where a press conference was scheduled by President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday.

Multiple explosions and gunfire were reported near the presidential palace, which is the site for several important organisations, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the headquarters for the Central Intelligence Agency and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-led International Security Assistance Force, said media reports.

According to the report, it was not immediately clear if Karzai was present in the compound during the attacks.

SMS messages on behalf of the Taliban were sent claiming responsibility for the attack, mentioning that the targets were the presidential palace, the ministry of defence, as well as the Ariana Hotel, which is popular with international visitors.

The claim also included that several suicide bombers were part of the attack. All the assailants were killed in the cross-firing and most of the organisations were locked down due to the assault.

The report said that the CIA building was on fire shortly after the attack.

Image: Smoke rises from the site of an attack in Kabul | Photograph: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters