Explosions and gunfire echoed Wednesday as militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad in the latest assault to rattle the eastern Afghan city.

Explosions and gunfire echoed Wednesday as militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad in the latest assault to rattle the eastern Afghan city.

No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the ongoing assault and no fatalities were immediately reported.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told AFP: "Our consulate has been targeted but everyone is safe."

The area, also home to other diplomatic missions, has repeatedly come under attack in recent months.

In January, terrorists of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group claimed responsibility for a deadly gun and bomb siege targeting the nearby Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad, the first major attack by the group in an Afghan city.

Wednesday's attack comes as direct peace talks are expected to start this week between the Afghan government and the Taliban.