Unknown armed men raided the house of Jan Mohammad Khan, an advisor to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and also the former governor of Uruzgan province, killing him along with his guest, a security official said.

"Unidentified armed men believed to be Taliban militants stormed the house of Jan Mohammad Khan at around 08:00 p.m. local time on Sunday and begun firing as a result Jan Mohammad Khan and his guest Hashim Watanwal were killed," the official told Xinhua, but declined to give his name, saying authorized officials would brief the media after controlling the situation.

One of the attackers was also killed in the firefight and a police constable sustained injuries, the official stated.

Hashim Watanwal is a serving parliamentarian, according to the official.

Contingents of security forces including Afghan and NATO-led troops have rushed to the site to control the situation.

The site of the attack has been cordoned off by security forces and no journalists is allowed to get access to the site of the conflict or get interview with people around.

However, some people in the area described the attackers as suicide bombers, saying one of the attackers has been killed by security forces while search operation for the remaining two or three others is going on.

The ranking officials with security organs are reluctant to make comment, while sporadic firings can be heard in the city.

Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an emailed statement that Taliban killed Khan because he was assisting coalition forces in carrying out night raids against Afghans.

Khan's killing came less than a week after the assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president's brother and one of the most powerful men in southern Afghanistan.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet