Taliban Kabul attack contained

Taliban insurgents launch rockets at the Kabul traffic department headquarters.

The battle between militants and government forces lasted eight hours and included a series of coordinated suicide bombers as well as a powerful car bomb.

Officials say the five Taliban attackers were killed in the prolonged assault, which also resulted in the deaths of three traffic police officers.

This is the second deadly offensive against a government building in a week's time and could signal a shift in the Taliban's tactics as they test Afghan security.

Witnesses worry violence here is escalating following a number of high-profile attacks on Western targets last year.

(SOUNDBITE) (Dari) EYEWITNESS NASRAT KHAN, SAYING:

"People are very concerned about the situation. No one is able to walk around. We are very concerned about how many people would have been killed so far in the attack."

Violence like this has prompted questions over Afghanistan's ability to secure the nation once foreign troops withdraw in 2014.