Loud explosions rocked the Afghan parliament and shattered windows on Monday as members were in session and gunfire was heard shortly afterwards.

Loud explosions rocked the Afghan parliament and shattered windows on Monday as members were in session and gunfire was heard shortly afterwards.

Television was broadcasting live from the building in the west of the capital, Kabul, when the first explosion struck and lawmakers were seen leaving the building.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi has confirmed that there has been an assault on the parliament and that security forces have been deployed there.

The Taliban terrorist group swiftly claimed responsibility for the attack which came as the Afghan president's nominee for the crucial post of defense minister was to be introduced in parliament.

"Several mujahideen have entered the parliament building, heavy fighting is on-going," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on Twitter.

Afghan MP Harif Rahmani, who was inside the lower house of parliament at time of the explosions, said no MPs were injured seriously.

Independent journalists tweeted that 21 civilians were killed in the attack, including 5 women and 3 children.

The firefight between the militants and the parliament security force continued for more than 20 minutes before additional security forces came to their rescue, Rahmani told TOLOnews.

Rahmani also said that the parliament had been warned about a possible attack a few days ago.

MPs and journalists have been evacuated from the parliament building.

Terrorist attacks in Kabul have risen in the past two months after a lull at the beginning of the year. The city of 3.5 million has never fully stabilized since a U.S.-led war ousted the hard-line Taliban regime in 2001.

President Ashraf Ghani's government has drawn criticism for failing to end growing insurgent attacks, which critics partly blame on political infighting and a lengthy delay in appointing a defense minister.