A potentially devastating attack on the Afghan capital has been foiled and a large amount of weapons recovered, the Afghan intelligence agency has said, according to BBC News.

The National Directorate of Security said its forces carried out a raid on a militant hide-out in Kabul.

An insurgent of the Pakistan-based militant Haqqani network was killed and six others arrested, it said.

The network - which has links to al-Qaeda and the Taliban - has carried out a series of high-profile attacks.

Most have been against foreign troops in Afghanistan. The US has long described it as a major threat and last year designated it as a terrorist organisation.

Militant groups including the Taliban have regularly targeted Kabul.

On Friday, May 24 security forces fought insurgents for hours in the centre of Kabul, after a major explosion shook the city. At least two people and a number of militants were killed.