Taliban launch brazen attack on Afghan parliament as lawmakers try to confirm appointment of defence minister
Attack in Afghan capital, which came as lawmakers tried to appoint the defence minister, raises questions about security after Nato withdrawal.
The Taliban launched a complex attack on the Afghan parliament yesterday, with a suicide car bomber striking at the entrance and gunmen battling police as lawmakers were meeting inside.
The attack on the symbolic centre of power, one of the most brazen in years, along with a series of Taliban gains elsewhere, raised questions about the Nato-trained Afghan security forces' ability to cope and how far the militants could advance.
Violence has spiralled in Afghanistan since the departure of most foreign forces at the end of last year. The insurgents are pushing to take territory more than 13 years after the US-led military intervention that toppled the Taliban from power.
The attack began when a Taliban fighter driving a car loaded with explosives blew up outside parliament gates, said Ebadullah Karimi, spokesman for Kabul police, raising questions about how the driver got through several security checkpoints.
Six gunmen took up positions in a building near parliament, he said. Security forces killed the six after a gun battle lasting nearly two hours.
Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said all lawmakers were safe.