KABUL - India's Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday condemned the terror attack on Afghanistan's Parliament, calling it a "heinous attempt by fundamentalists to subvert democratic forces".

Expressing deep concern over a string of explosions in the Afghan parliament complex, she said such cowardly attacks by terrorists can never deter the democratic traditions gaining strength the world over.

"The Congress and indeed the entire country stand by the people of Afghanistan," she said in the statement.

The Kabul attack, which the Taliban claimed responsibility for, took place at about 10.20am Monday morning while MPs were in a parliamentary sitting.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car outside Parliament before additional attackers stormed the south entrance gate. However, parliamentary security forces were able to keep them from storming the parliament compound until security forces arrived.

The siege lasted just over an hour. At least five people were killed and 31 injured in the attack. Security forces also killed all seven attackers. (Tolonews)