Afghan officials say a nearly 18-hour Taliban attack on the capital and three provinces ended early Monday when Afghan security forces backed by NATO helicopters assaulted a building in Kabul where militants were hiding.
Interior minister Besmillah Mohammadi told reporters Monday that 36 insurgents were killed during the attacks that began Sunday in the capital and three other cities. He said eight members of the Afghan security forces also died along with three civilians.
The announcement that the fighting had ended and the militants were killed came hours after residents of Kabul awoke to a second day of intense gunfire and loud explosions.
Afghan officials said at dawn that security personnel were exchanging fire with militants holed up in a building in Kabul's central diplomatic area, where insurgents began their coordinated attacks Sunday.
The attacks targeted the parliament, NATO headquarters and an area that includes the U.S., German and British embassies. Suicide blasts in the capital were followed by intense gunfire and rocket attacks. Dark smoke rose into the sky as Afghan troops rushed into the streets with weapons drawn. Residents took cover indoors and emergency alarms blared throughout the city.
The militants also struck three eastern provinces as part of what they called their "spring offensive."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assaults.
Western embassies said none of their staff members was hurt during the long ordeal.
NATO commander General John Allen praised Afghan security forces for their quick and well-coordinated response to the attacks.
NATO spokesman Carsten Jacobson said insurgents were "indiscriminantly" firing at targets, not to "achieve a military success, but to achieve publicity."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the attacks "cowardly" during a call to U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker to assess the situation on the ground.
Violence has continued in the country as coalition forces have begun withdrawing from Afghanistan and transferring security responsibility to their Afghan counterparts.
During an interview with CNN Sunday, U.S. Ambassador Crocker said Afghan security forces responded "very professionally" to the coordinated strikes.
The United States and Afghanistan are also pushing toward completion of a long-term strategic agreement defining the U.S. presence in Afghanistan once all foreign combat troops leave the country by 2014.
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