KABUL, Afghanistan

Five Afghan security personnel guarding UN personnel were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the capital Kabul, an official statement said on Thursday.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said the incident took place on Kabul-Jalalabad highway when the assailants opened fire at a vehicle of the Afghan Directorate of Protection Service escorting a UN convoy.

"The UN family in #Afghanistan mourns the loss of five Afghan Directorate of Protection Service personnel in an incident today in Surobi District of Kabul,” the mission said in a Twitter post, adding no UN personnel were hurt or vehicle affected in the attack.