Seven killed after Taliban attack Nato supply company's compound in Kabul

Five guards and two civilians have been killed after Taliban suicide attackers sprayed gunfire at security personnel and blew up a truck bomb at the gates of a Nato supply company compound in Kabul.

The early morning attack was the latest in a series targeting high-profile locations in the Afghan capital. The attacks have made clear that the Taliban have no intention of ending the violence, even as they say they are willing to enter peace negotiations.

The attack started before dawn, when a suicide bomber drove a small truck to the outer gate of the logistics centre used to supply Nato troops and detonated it, blowing a massive crater in the ground and damaging a guard tower, said Kabul provincial police chief Mohammad Ayuob Salangi.

Two truck drivers waiting nearby to enter the compound were also killed in the blast, along with the bomber.

Three gunmen then stormed in and battled with security guards for more than an hour before being killed. Five Nepalese security guards were also killed, Mr Salangi said.

The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack in a short phone message sent to reporters.

The militant group last month opened a new political office in the Gulf nation of Qatar, and indicated that they were prepared to enter into peace talks, but at the same time did not renounce violence.

The following week, Taliban suicide attackers were able to get past preliminary security checks and open fire on guards at a gate to the presidential palace in a bold attack at the heart of the Afghan government.

Earlier in June, heavily armed fighters launched a failed assault on Nato's operational headquarters at Kabul's international airport and blew up a car bomb outside Afghanistan's Supreme Court.