A member of the Afghan police Crisis Response Unit secures the scene of a truck bomb used to blow a hole in the fence surrounding partially constructed buildings near the Kabul airport on Thursday, July 17, 2014. After the explosion Taliban insurgents gained access to the site and used a building to launch an attack on the airport before being killed by security forces. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
A member of the Afghan police Crisis Response Unit secures the scene of a truck bomb used to blow a hole in the fence surrounding partially constructed buildings near the Kabul airport on Thursday, July 17, 2014. After the explosion Taliban insurgents gained access to the site and used a building to launch an attack on the airport before being killed by security forces. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
Afghan policemen take up positions in a building during a firefight with Taliban insurgents on Thursday, July 17, 2014. The attackers were firing on the Kabul airport before being killed by security forces. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
Afghan security forces fire from the top of a partially constructed building during a firefight with Taliban militants on July 17, 2014. The four insurgents face off against hundreds of Afghan government forces in a construction area next to the Kabul airport. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
The exterior of a partially constructed building in Kabul is pockmarked by bullet holes and rocket-propelled grenade impacts after a firefight between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents on Thursday, July 17, 2014. A common Taliban tactic is to find buildings under construction near important targets -- in this case the Kabul airport -- and use them to attack. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
A member of the Afghan police Crisis Response Unit leaves the scene of a firefight between government security forces and Taliban insurgents near Kabul airport on Thursday, July 17, 2014. Elite Afghan police and army units responded to the attack. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
An Afghan policeman leaves the building where four Taliban militants lay dead after a firefight near the Kabul airport on Thursday, July 17, 2014. International military officials say Afghan forces in Kabul have become adept at reacting to such attacks. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
The bullet-marked view from a position used by Taliban gunmen near Kabul's airport. For hours heavy automatic gunfire and the explosions of rocket-propelled grenades used by both sides could be heard around Afghanistan's capital city on Thursday, July 17, 2014. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
An Afghan policeman directs the removal of the body of a Taliban militant killed by Afghan security forces during a firefight near Kabul's airport on Thursday, July 17, 2014. Officials said all four attackers were killed, with no serious casualties among government forces. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
A boy covers his mouth and nose as police remove the body of a Taliban militant killed by Afghan secuirty forces during an attempted attack on the Kabul airport on Thursday, July 17, 2014. The hours-long firefight resulted in no serious damage to the airport or the adjacent military base, officials said. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
An Afghan boy joins the crowd salvaging scraps from the remains of a truck bomb used by the Taliban to launch an attack near the Kabul airport on Thursday, July 17, 2014. After initially trying to preserve the scene, Afghan security officers gave up after being confronted by the crowd. (Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes)
KABUL — The Taliban claimed responsibility for a brazen attack on the Kabul International Airport on Thursday that inflicted little damage but diverted flights and sent the sound of gunfire and explosions rolling across the city for hours.
All five attackers died during close-quarter fighting that lasted about five hours after the attack began about 4 a.m. Four of the insurgents were killed by security forces, while the fifth detonated a suicide vest, police said. Afghan officials said their forces sustained no casualties.
The airport attackers used a truck bomb to blast their way through a fence and into an area near the airport where high-rise apartment buildings are being built, officials said. From the upper levels of one unoccupied structure, the militants opened fire on the nearby military base, also located on the airport grounds.
Officials with the Afghan Air Force said none of their aircraft were damaged during the attack, but aviation authorities grounded and diverted civilian flights until after the fighting ended.
As Afghan government forces left the scene, they were cheered on by a crowd of residents. But the good will dissipated as police unsuccessfully tried to stop the crowd from tearing apart the remains of the truck bomb for scrap. Police fired shots in the air as the crowd surged forward.
Attacks on the airport have become something of a regular occurrence in recent weeks, with insurgents often firing rockets at it. The raid on Thursday was unusual because it involved a ground attack by Taliban fighters.
On Tuesday a car bomb killed 43 people and wounded at least 74 in the eastern province of Paktika. On the same day a roadside bomb in Kabul left two presidential palace staffers dead.
The attacks come amid a tense political period as Afghans attempt to resolve a disputed presidential election. On Thursday election officials and international observers began an unprecedented recount of ballots from the second round of voting.
Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report.
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