A 20-hour Taliban siege of Kabul finally came to an end Wednesday morning, as images from the aftermath show bloodied corpses, bullet-riddled walls and smoke rising from buildings [click here for slideshow].
Suicide bombers struck the U.S. embassy and NATO headquarters in a series of coordinated attacks that killed eight people - including four Afghan police officers and four Afghan civilians - while wounding another 17.
Several young children were among the wounded after a school bus was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The attack began at 1:30 PM local time on Tuesday when a car packed with militants was stopped at a check post at Abdul Haq Square about 1km from the U.S. embassy.
A Ministry of Interior spokesman told TOLOnews that the six attackers were finally all killed by 9:00 AM local time after taking refuge in an unfinished high-rise building overlooking the diplomatic quarter.
Several rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the perimeter of the embassy, according to U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who said:
"We're still trying to count them up but I'd say roughly six, seven. But again, they were firing from at least 800 meters away and with an RPG that's harassment. That's not an attack."
Crocker also said the Haqqani network was likely responsible for the attack.
The attacks proved yet again that, despite massive security, the Taliban can strike at will against key targets in the capital city.
This is the third major attack in Kabul since late June and casts fresh doubts on the ability of Afghan forces to secure their own country as the US and other foreign troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014.
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