Smoke rises from the site of an attack near the Afghan parliament in Kabul April 15, 2012. Afghanistan's Taliban said they launched a spring offensive on Sunday with multiple attacks against Western embassies in the central diplomatic area and at parliament in Kabul, with heavy explosions, rockets and gunfire rattling the city. REUTERS/Pajhwok News Agency/Handout

OTTAWA --- All Canadians in Afghanistan's capital are safe following multiple attacks by the Taliban on Western embassies Sunday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said.

"These deliberate and reprehensible attacks on Afghanistan's parliament and on diplomatic missions, whose personnel are committed to helping Afghans, highlight the systematic destruction that the insurgents are willing to unleash against the Afghan people," he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the launch of the so-called "spring offensive," with sustained attacks in Kabul and outlying provinces. It said the main targets were British and German embassies as well the headquartersof the NATO-led forces.

In a statement, the NATO-led International Security Force said there'd been some rebel casualties and that two suicide attackers were captured alive before exploding their devices.

Canada ended its combat role in Afghanistan in 2011, but more than 550 personnel are still the country to help train Afghan security forces.

The assault was one of the most serious on the capital since U.S.-backed Afghan forces removed the Taliban from power in 2001.

- with files from Reuters