Taliban attack shows militant spirit unbroken

Associated Press

KABUL

A Taliban attack at the gates of the Afghan presidential palace cast a cold light Tuesday on the course of a war that Washington remains committed to ending.

A week after NATO forces handed all security operations to the Afghans, local forces fought off the attackers on their own, killing all eight militants without calling in any coalition help. But the assault also made clear that the Taliban’s fighting spirit remains unbroken and demonstrated their ability to bluff their way past two checkpoints and storm a highly fortified zone of the capital.

The firefight took place in Ariana square, about 500 yards and several more checkpoints away from the presidential palace, where President Hamid Karzai apparently was preparing for a speech later in the morning.

The attack could complicate American efforts to try to get Karzai’s government to sit down with the Taliban to talk peace.