Taliban attack Afghan parliament, seize second district in north

A Taliban suicide bomber and gunmen attacked the Afghan parliament on Monday, shattering windows, wounding at least 19 people and sending a plume of black smoke across Kabul, as a second district in two days fell to the Islamist group in the north.

Violence has spiralled in Afghanistan since the departure of most foreign forces at the end of last year as the insurgents push to take territory more than 13 years after the U.S.-led military intervention that toppled the Taliban from power.

A series of Taliban gains, and Monday's attack on the symbolic centre of power, have raised questions about the NATO-trained Afghan security forces' ability to cope

Four women were among the 19 wounded, said Sayed Kabir Amiri, a health official who coordinates Kabul hospitals. - Read More

Taliban attack Afghan parliament, seize second district in north

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