Story from BBC
Sixteen other Afghan soldiers were injured, a defence ministry spokesman told the BBC.
Five militants were involved, said the spokesman. Four were killed in the attack but one was arrested.
The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State (IS), according to the militant group's Amaq news agency.
Earlier reports said the attack had taken place at Marshal Fahim National Defense University, which is near the military base.
Militants change tactics
Secunder Kermani, BBC News, Kabul
Both
the Taliban and IS seem now to be focusing their energies on carrying
out attacks in Kabul. Government officials say it is a response to
progress made by the security forces elsewhere in the country. US air
strikes have helped push the Taliban back from some parts of Helmand
Province for example.
However, it could also just be that the
militants have decided attacking the capital is a more effective way of
undermining confidence in the government and attracting international
attention than trying to capture and retain territory in rural areas.
The
chief of the Afghan intelligence services said on Sunday he believed
the upsurge in attacks was a response to increased US pressure on
Pakistan. The US and Afghanistan accuse Pakistan of providing safe
havens to militants and President Donald Trump recently suspended
security aid to Islamabad. Pakistan has denied the claims.
Whatever the reason, it is clear that violence in Kabul is on the rise.
How did Monday's attack unfold?
Several
explosions were heard, as well as small-arms fire, as the attack began
at about 05:00 local time (00:30 GMT) at the military base in western
Kabul.
Two attackers blew themselves up, two others were killed by
security forces and a fifth was arrested, defence ministry spokesman
Gen Dawlat Waiziri told the BBC.
Four AK-47 assault rifles, one suicide vest and one rocket-launcher were seized, he said.
The president's spokesperson said none of the attackers had been able
to get further than the first gate, Afghan news website Tolo reports.
Afghan military institutions are frequently targeted by militants.
Has the academy been targeted before?
In October 2017, 15 military cadets were killed in an explosion outside as they were leaving by minibus.
That attack was attributed to the Taliban.
Marshal
Fahim National Defense University is sometimes referred to as
"Sandhurst in the Sand" as it is closely modelled on the British officer
training academy.
How bloody has the surge in attacks been?
Apart from the ambulance bomb and the attack on the academy, an aid agency and a hotel have been targeted in the past week.
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