Afghanistan gun battle Mazar-i-Sharif
An Afghan soldier takes part in a demining drill at Camp Shaheen, located west of Mazar-i-Sharif Reuters

Gunmen dressed as police officers have stormed a court complex in the Afghanistan city of Mazar-Sharif.

Local sources reported that an ongoing gun battle erupted in the city, which is located north of the capital Kabul, after at least three armed men attacked the Balkh attorney general's office.

"Our initial information shows that armed men entered the provincial Appeals Court in Mazar-i-Sharif today," Abdul Raziq Qaderi, acting police chief of Balkh province, told AFP.

"Gunmen exchanged fire with Afghan security forces and the attack is ongoing," he added.

The appeals court office is situated next to the powerful governor Atta Mohammad Noor's office. A local journalist, Esmatullah Koshar, who runs the Kabul Pressistan media, reported of one killed and at least seven wounded in the attack.

He also reported of blasts and heavy armed clashes from inside the building, where the gunmen are still holed up.