Two attackers hiding handguns in their shoes infiltrated a compound of the governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province Saturday, sparking a fierce gunbattle that left two guards and both assailants dead.

Governor Tooryalai Wesa, the apparent target of the attack, was not hurt. He said afterwards that the militants passed through two security checks without their weapons being detected before guards at the last checkpoint stopped them.

The gunmen pulled the guns out of their shoes, shot dead two of the guards and wounded another, and then took their weapons. Police also found a vehicle parked outside the compound that was rigged with explosives.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which came after a roadside bomb killed 10 member of the Afghan security forces in central Wardak province.

Also Saturday, NATO said two of its service members died in two separate bomb blasts.