Three blasts hit the Afghan capital of Kabul in rapid succession on Wednesday and gunfire then broke out, police and interior ministry officials said.

Police said one blast was near a police station in the centre of the city and casualties were feared.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the police station in central Kabul in an area near foreign embassies and government offices, an interior ministry official said.

"We are rushing ambulances to the blast site and cordoning off the entire area," said police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai.

Dozens of people have been killed in suicide attacks in Kabul in recent weeks, including twin blasts on April 30 that killed 26 people including nine journalists.

The Afghan capital has seen an increase in bombings and other attacks against the security forces and civilians since the Taliban announced the beginning of their spring offensive on April 25.

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