"The embassy has been attacked. We are gathering details," a foreign ministry spokesman in Madrid told AFP, information that was confirmed by the Kabul police.

A car bomb was detonated near the Spanish embassy before the assault and at least three Taliban terrorists were involved in today's attack.

Shortly before the attack a car bomb was detonated near the embassy outside a guest house.

The embassy is in Sherpur in central Kabul, where a huge car bomb struck during rush hour on Friday evening, followed by ongoing bursts of gunfire in an assault that comes as the resurgent Taliban escalate attacks against government and foreign targets.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, but said the target was a foreign guest house. It was not immediately clear if the guest house was inside the embassy premises.

At least seven people were brought to a hospital operated by the aid group Emergency, located around 700 metres from the Spanish embassy, according to a tweet from the organisation, but there were no other reports of damage or casualties.

A Spanish official at the embassy told the Wall Street Journal: “We are under pressure, but we are OK. The situation is still going.”