Possible attack on U.S. Afghan embassy thwarted

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: The joint Afghan/international force came under small-arms fire during the operation
NEW: A large number of weapons were discovered during the operation
Two men were killed in Afghanistan in an allied military operation Friday
The operation was undertaken in response to a possible threat against the U.S. Embassy in Kabul

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A potential attack against the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan appeared to be thwarted Friday as a joint Afghan and international military patrol killed two men during an operation in Kabul, according to an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) statement.

The action was taken in response to a "credible threat" against the embassy, the statement noted.

Fifteen people were briefly detained in the operation.

The area targeted by the joint force was near an office building in downtown Kabul, the statement said. As the force approached two vehicles believed to be filled with explosives, they were attacked with small-arms fire. Two shooters were killed when members of the force returned fire; a third surrendered on the roof of a nearby building.

A significant number of weapons were discovered during the operation, according to the statement.

CNN's Arwa Damon contributed to this report