At least seven people have been reported dead after armed men, including two suicide bombers, attacked Libya's electoral commission headquarters.

The attack on Wednesday in the capital, Tripoli, took place as election officials were registering voters ahead of elections expected later this year, news agencies reported.

Khaled Omar, the election commission spokesman, told reporters that three election officials and four members of the security forces were killed.

Al Jazeera's Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, quoted the city's director for security as saying two suicide bombers detonated their explosives as security forces confronted them.

Abdelwahed also said security personnel "are still counting the casualties and the number could be higher".

He said that the security director suggested that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may be behind the attack.

One image posted on social media showed thick black smoke rising from the election commission building.

PHOTO CAPTION

Map of Libya locating Tripoli

Al-Jazeera