Taliban militants blitz city of Kabul

Explosions and gunfire rocked the Afghan capital Kabul yesterday as suicide bombers struck across Afghanistan in coordinated attacks claimed by Taliban insurgents as the start of a spring offensive.

Afghan forces taking the lead in countering assaults

The US, British, German and Japanese embassy compounds came under fire as militants attacked the city’s diplomatic enclave and tried to storm Parliament – sparking a gun battle in which lawmakers and bodyguards fired back from the rooftop.

Embattled President Hamid Karzai was moved to a safe area and his palace went into lockdown as the capital was hit by a wave of attacks including a failed attempt to target one of his deputies, officials said.

Insurgents armed with heavy machineguns, rocket propelled grenades and suicide vests launched what the Taliban spokesman said was a “coordinated attack” in Kabul and three eastern towns near the capital.

In Kabul the insurgents took up positions in construction sites overlooking government buildings, diplomatic missions and other high profile targets, unleashing a stand-off with security forces throughout the afternoon and evening.

Lutfullah Mashal, a spokesman for the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said Mohammad Karim Khalili, one of Mr Karzai’s two deputies was one of the targets of yesterday’s attacks.

Mr Mashal said the group of three tasked with attacking Mr Khalili’s home in west Kabul was captured before reaching their target.They claimed they were linked to the Haqqani Network, he said, a hardcore Taliban branch accused of masterminding most of the high-profile attacks in Kabul and known to have close links to Al-Qaeda.

The attacks will raise fears over the precarious security situation in Afghanistan as Nato prepares to withdraw its 130,000 troops by the end of 2014 and hand responsibility for security to Afghan forces.

A spokesman for Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) told AFP that Afghan forces, whose ability to withstand the Taliban after 2014 has been questioned, were taking the lead in countering the assaults on Kabul.

US Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the ability of Afghan security forces to respond to the attacks was a “clear sign of progress.”