Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan— Insurgents staged a brazen attack Tuesday in the heart of the Afghan capital, firing rockets apparently aimed at the U.S. Embassy or the nearby headquarters of the NATO force.

Heavy explosions echoed near a central square, as terrified Afghans fled the sound of fighting. “Again, again!” said an elderly shopkeeper as he hastily rolled down the metal shutter protecting his carpet store and prepared to flee.

Insurgents appeared to have seized a tall building under construction as a staging ground for the attack with rockets and automatic weapons — a tactic used previously in similar strikes elsewhere in the country. The targeted area is dense with diplomatic compounds and other foreign installations.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, which began in the early afternoon, saying “heavy casualties” had been inflicted.

The strike, which came two days after U.S. commemorations of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, appeared to center on the well-fortified “green zone” where the U.S. Embassy and the headquarters of NATO’s International Security Assistance force are housed.

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