A TALIBAN attack involving at least one suicide bomber has targeted a foreigners' compound in Kabul, killing four people in the latest fatal blast to hit the Afghan capital.

The attack started when a small truck packed with explosives rammed the gate of the compound housing foreign nationals on the city's eastern outskirts soon after sunrise. Once the gate was destroyed, gunmen attempted to breach the compound.

Two Afghan security guards were among the four killed. Three civilians were wounded in the attack, which involved three assailants, including the driver of the truck.

The area where the attack happened has several compounds housing foreign contracting and service companies, as well as international military bases, so the precise target was not immediately clear. The Afghan government's intelligence agency also has a branch nearby.

First Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum visited the blast site as did the army's rapid reaction force.