Taliban onslaught in Kabul strikes at Western targets

The onslaught underlined the ability of militants to bring their fight to the doorsteps of Western powers in Afghanistan.

The coordinated assaults carried an unsettling message to Western leaders and their Afghan allies about the resilience and reach of the Taliban network.

It was the third major attack in the Afghan capital since late June, casting fresh doubts on the ability of Afghans to secure their own country as foreign troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014.

The American embassy and Nato both said no staff were wounded.

At least one Afghan police officer and two insurgents had been killed as gunfire and explosions resounded across the city well into the afternoon.

The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan.

In Brussels, Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the “enemies of Afghanistan” were trying to disrupt the handing over of security responsibility to the Afghan army and police.

Plumes of smoke rose from the area near the embassy, and US Army helicopters buzzed overhead. The American embassy is on the edge of the Wazir Akbar Khan area, which is home to a number of other foreign missions. Explosions shook much of the neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, gunmen fired from a nine-storey office building under construction at Abdul Haq square, about 300 yards from the US Embassy.

Kabul police said at least seven insurgents were involved in the attacks around the city. Four were involved in the attack from the building and three attempted to carry out suicide attacks.

All three suicide attackers were killed by police.

Violence in the once-quiet capital has escalated in recent months. On August 18, Taliban suicide bombers stormed a British compound killing eight people during an eight-hour firefight.

On June 29, nine insurgents wearing suicide vests stormed the Intercontinental Hotel armed with rifles and rocket launchers. They killed at least 12 people and held off Nato and Afghan forces for five hours.

Taliban gunmen shot dead four children and the driver on a school bus in Pakistan as revenge for being opposed.

At least 14 other children and two women teachers were wounded in the attack in Matani on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar.

Two local tribal leaders in Matani have raised local militias to stop militant infiltration from the nearby border regions with Afghanistan. They have killed or captured many militants over the last 18 months.

But they and their families have been ruthlessly targeted by the militants, who until three years ago were in control of the area.

Elsewhere in the north-west of the country, the bodies of two young men were found with a note saying they were killed by the Pakistani Taliban for spying.