Explosions and gunfire rock Kabul A series of explosions followed by sustained gunfire have shaken the Afghan capital in what appeared to be a co-ordinated attack on two areas frequented by Afghan government officials and their international allies. The first blasts struck the Wazir Akbar Khan area of central Kabul, home to a number of embassies and a Nato base. Gunfire broke out soon after, forcing people into the street to take cover. Smoke could be seen rising from a few buildings as sirens wailed. Heavy gunfire continued more than 30 minutes after the initial explosion. Attackers also fired rockets at the parliament building, in the west of the city, and at the Russian embassy, a spokesman for the parliament said. Militants who had staked out positions in a tall building were firing rockets in different directions, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. It was not immediately clear what they were targeting. It was the first attack in Kabul since a shooting inside the interior ministry in February in which a ministry employee turned a gun on Nato advisers and shot two soldiers dead.