The commander of Nato and US forces says that all Nato personnel are being recalled from Afghan ministries following an attack at the Interior Ministry in Kabul.

General John Allen said staff are being recalled "for obvious force protection reasons." He says Nato is investigating the latest shooting and will pursue all leads to find the person responsible for the attack.

A gunman killed two American advisers inside the heavily guarded government compound in Kabul as protests against the burning of copies of the Muslim holy book roiled the country for a fifth day.

US officials said the assailant remained at large as neither an apology from President Barack Obama nor gunfire from Afghan police could quench public outrage over what Nato insisted was an inadvertent desecration of the Koran.

Nato confirmed that two service members were killed, but spokesman Lt Col Jimmie Cummings said "initial reports say it was not a Western shooter." He declined to provide further information.

At least 25 people have been killed and hundreds wounded since Tuesday, when it first emerged that Korans and other religious materials had been thrown into a fire pit used to burn garbage at Bagram air base north of Kabul.