Taliban launch series of attacks on Kabul

Taliban militants suspected of being part of a suicide bombing launched a series of attacks in the Afghan capital, targeting the presidential palace and government buildings.

The militants attacked the Finance and Justice Ministries, the Central Bank, the presidential palace and a luxury hotel in Kabul on Monday, as some members of President Hamid Karzai's Cabinet were being sworn in.

Afghan police forces responded with gunfire, sealing off a large area in the center of Kabul. At least five people are reported killed and 38 injured.

A spokesperson for the Taliban says twenty insurgents, some with suicide vest, have been deployed to the Afghan capital. Ten of them have been killed, remaining ten are at large so people fear more attacks.

RT's military analyst Evgeny Khrushchev says the continuing violence serves as proof of the failure of US military strategy in the Middle East.

“It is a visual reminder of the total failure of the US policy in Afghanistan. Despite the “rebooting” of US foreign policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the new administration, it actually remains the same legacy of the Bush era,” Khrushchev said.

Kabul political analyst, Habib Hakimi, says the attacks reflect the growing Taliban strength and their ability to break though the tight security measures imposed by Kabul authorities. Hakimi also said the attacks show the Taliban’s unwillingness to enter any negotiations until foreign troops pull out of the country.