Taliban suicide bombers dressed as women and police have attacked the main United Nations compound in Herat in western Afghanistan.
Security forces killed four and a fifth blew himself up at the gates, before the others, wearing suicide vests, got inside. An ensuing gunfight lasted 15 minutes.
A UN guard and a policeman were lightly wounded in the attack, which began just before midday on Saturday.
The provincial governor said all the attackers were killed.
The raid was claimed by the Taliban.
The BBC reports Herat is one of the safer places in Afghanistan, although insurgent attacks in the area have increased lately. Herat is the largest city in the west.
It was the largest attack against a UN target in Afghanistan since last year.
In October 2009, 12 people, including six UN workers were killed, during an attack on a guesthouse in the capital, Kabul.
A USAID office in Kunduz province was attacked in July. Four people were killed.
