Updated 1:22pm
A private television station in the Afghan capital came under attack on Tuesday by a number of gunmen who broke into the building after an explosion, officials said.
A tweet from the Shamshad TV station’s Twitter account said staffers reported several casualties inside the building and staff members reached by telephone said between two and five people appeared to have been killed.
Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said casualties were feared but he said the number was still unclear.
He said the attack began with an explosion at the gate of the station followed by gunmen who stormed in. One of the attackers was killed immediately but others fought off security forces with hand grenades.
As the attack unfolded, Shamshad TV, a Pashto language broadcaster, stopped normal programming, transmitting only a still image.
There was no immediate indication of the identity of the attackers but Taliban insurgents issued an immediate denial that they were involved.
Militant group Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack in which gunmen disguised as police killed a security guard and opened fire on staff.
Afghan special forces suppressed the attack on Shamshad TV, a private Pashto-language broadcaster based close to the national stadium, after about two hours, but police said at least two people had been killed and 20 wounded.
"People dressed in police clothes came in and initially threw hand grenades, which killed one of our guards and wounded another," Abed Ehsas, Shamshad's news director told broadcaster Tolo News TV.
"After that, others got into our building and started firing. Some of our colleagues were hit, though, thank God, many others managed to get out. Some were wounded by gunshots, falling glass and when they jumped from high floors."
People dressed in police clothes came in and initially threw hand grenades, which killed one of our guards and wounded another
During the attack, a special forces unit blasted a hole in the concrete wall around the compound and entered the site amid a crack of gunfire. At least one attacker was killed during the operation, while another was killed at the compound entrance.
In a statement on its news agency Amaq, Islamic State claimed responsibility, without giving evidence. The group, based mainly in the eastern province of Nangarhar, has claimed a number of attacks on civilian targets in the Afghan capital.
Shortly after the beginning of the attack, the Taliban's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, issued an immediate denial of involvement.
Suicide attacks have become a grimly familiar part of daily life in Kabul, now considered one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan for civilians. But it was also the latest in a series targeting Afghan journalists and media workers.
Shamshad TV halted normal programming during the attack, transmitting only a still image. But it resumed broadcasting after about two hours, saying the incident had ended and staff trapped in the building rescued by police.