Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was safely en route to Washington when a rocket hit a diplomatic compound next to the presidential palace in Kabul where he had visited hours earlier.
Mr Turnbull was at the palace earlier on Sunday to meet with Afghanistan President Dr Ashraf Ghani.
Reuters said the rocket landed inside the Italian embassy and injured two guards.
The rocket attack came a day before Afghan and international officials were to meet to flesh out a plan for possible peace negotiations with the Taliban.
The embassy did not sustain major damage.
Mr Turnbull also spoke with a number of the 250 Australian defence personnel involved in Afghanistan during his visit including military trainers and force protection officers.
The prime minister also received top-level briefings about the NATO-led train, advise and assist mission Resolute Support, involving Australian defence personnel, which replaced the previous International Security Assistance Force mission.
He told Australian troops at Qargha, the Afghan national army officer academy, that Afghanistan's leadership enormously appreciated their work.
"You are making a real difference to the evolution of Afghanistan to a point where it can stand on its own two feet and maintain its own security," Mr Turnbull said.
The work was not only important for Afghanistan's future but in the global security effort.
The Afghan president has accepted an invitation to visit Australia this year.
Mr Turnbull is due to arrive in Washington on Monday morning (US time) for talks with US Defence Secretary Ash Carter and will meet President Barack Obama on Tuesday at the White House.
The threat of Islamic State extremism and global security is expected to dominate his agenda while in the US.
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