Taliban attacks paralyze Afghan capital for hours

KABUL (AP) —Taliban militants wearing explosive vests launched a brazen daylight assault today on the center of Kabul, with suicide bombings and gun battles near the presidential palace and other government buildings that paralyzed the city for hours.

Afghan forces along with NATO advisers managed to restore order after nearly five hours of fighting as explosions and machine gunfire echoed across the mountain-rimmed city, sending terrified Afghans racing for cover. Twelve people were killed, including seven attackers, officials said.

The assault by a handful of determined militants dramatized the vulnerability of the Afghan capital, undermining public confidence in President Hamid Karzai’s government and its U.S.-led allies.