Taliban militants unleashed a carefully coordinated, deadly attack on the heart of Afghanistan’s capital and its U.S.-backed government…[yesterday], killing five people and injuring more than 70 in an attack that illustrated the insurgency’s ability to strike at will at virtually any target.
The five-hour assualt, carried out by seven Taliban insurgents wielding AK-47 rifles, grenades, rocket launchers and suicide bomb vests, plunged downtown Kabul on a bustling workday morning into a state of war. Afghans shopping or heading to work screamed as they darted for cover while bursts of gunfire rang out overhead and explosions shook the downtown area.