Still, the attack was the most ambitious in Kabul in nearly a year and demonstrated the vulnerability of the Afghan capital despite extensive security throughout the city. The assault was also a clear sign the Taliban plan to escalate their fight as the US and its allies ramp up a campaign to end the war.
"We are so concerned, so disappointed about the security in the capital," said Mohammad Hussain, a 25-year-old shopkeeper, who witnessed the fighting. "Tens of thousands of US and Nato troops are being sent to Afghanistan, yet security in the capital is deteriorating." The violence began shortly before 10 am and ended some five hours later after attacks at four locations within an area of less than one square mile. The area, in the centre of the capital, is a mix of government buildings surrounded by concrete walls, shops and hotels.
In the first assault, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at Pashtunistan Square, a major intersection near the gates to the presidential palace, the Central Bank and the luxury Serena Hotel, which is frequented by Westerners. Clashes broke out as other militants fought with Afghan troops, who converged quickly on the scene in pickup trucks and armoured vehicles. Police sealed off the area and helicopters buzzed overhead.
Several attackers then stormed into a nearby shopping mall, prompting a stand-off with security forces. Two bombers were killed when their explosives detonated, setting the four-story building ablaze. About 11:17 am, another suicide attacker drove toward the area in an ambulance but blew himself up after he was stopped at a checkpoint near the Education Ministry.
Three other attackers entered another commercial building housing offices at about 1 pm, holding off security forces for about two hours before they were killed. The details were provided by Interior Minister Hanif Atmar at a press conference and contradicted previous accounts given amid the chaos.
It was the biggest assault on the capital since October 28, when gunmen with automatic weapons and suicide vests stormed a guest house used by UN staff, killing at least 11 people including five UN staff. Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen also struck government buildings in the capital in February 2009, killing more than 20 people.
In Monday's attack, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that 20 armed militants, including some with suicide vests, had entered Kabul to target the presidential palace and other government buildings in the centre of the capital. The Defence Ministry said seven militants were killed but that it was possible others were burned in the shopping centre blaze.
Debris was strewn on the streets, which were quickly abandoned by crowds that normally fill the area. An intelligence agent was killed, along with two policemen and two civilians, including one child, according to Atmar. He said 71 other people were wounded, including 35 civilians. Most of the injuries were caused by hand grenade attacks launched by the militants, he said.
The attack unfolded as Cabinet members were being sworn in by President Hamid Karzai despite the rejection by parliament of the majority of his choices. Presidential spokesman Waheed Omar said the ceremony had occurred as scheduled, and everybody in the palace was safe. "As we were conducting the ceremony to swear in the Cabinet, a terrorist attack was going in an area of Kabul close to the presidential palace," Karzai told reporters. "This is just one of the dangers."
Militants have become increasingly brazen in challenging Afghan and international forces as the US and Nato allies begin sending 37,000 more troops to join the fight. Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the Taliban behind the attack were part of a set of extremist groups operating in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"They are desperate people; they are ruthless," he said from New Delhi after a trip to Afghanistan. Nato officials said the attack appeared timed to upstage preparations for a January 28 major international conference in London on ways to shore up the Afghan government to confront the growing Taliban threat. US Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force, blamed the Haqqani network.