TALIBAN BOMBERS STRIKE SHOPPING MALL IN AFGHANISTAN

By Roy Gutman and Hashim Shukoor, McClatchy Newspapers Roy Gutman And Hashim Shukoor, Mcclatchy Newspapers Mon Jan 18, 11:05 am ET

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100118/wl_mcclatchy/3403161_1

GARDEZ, Afghanistan — Seven Taliban attackers, including a suicide bomber driving an ambulance, hit the center of Kabul on Monday morning, killing five people, wounding at least 71 and demonstrating their ability to strike at the hub of the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

Gen. Abdul Ghafar Sayed Zada , the head of the criminal investigative division of Kabul's police department, said that security forces had shot five of the attackers, who were armed with AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers and grenades, not far from President Hamid Karzai's palace, the Ministry of Justice and the Central Bank in Afghanistan's capital.

The attackers also struck a shopping mall near the presidential palace, setting the building on fire and causing civilian and security force casualties. Three security personnel were killed as they battled the attackers in or near the six-story Froshgha shopping mall, also known as the Grand Afghan Shopping Center . Two civilians also were killed, and the Health Ministry said that at least 71 people had been wounded in the attacks, including three dozen security officials.

In a scene shown on live television, all the mall's windows were blown out and smoke was pouring forth. Afghan army snipers took up positions on the roof of a nearby building.

TALIBAN TAKES CONTROL OF U.S. BASE IN NURISTAN (VIDEO IN ARABIC)

You may need an interpreter to understand what is being said in this video, but the pictures show how the Taliban has taken control of a U.S. base in Nuristan, Afghanistan.

The Taliban has seized weapons and ammo.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/F23LfgnYXdE&hl=en_US&fs=1

CLICK ON LINK ABOVE AND THEN DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

FIRST VIDEO OF TALIBAN ATTACK ON PALACE IN KABUL AFGHANISTAN

Video shows the first footage of the suicide attack today on the Presidential Palace and other government buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan.

TURN UP YOUR VOLUME

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/bGUMmClAql4&hl=en_US&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

BREAKING NEWS: EXPLOSIONS, GUNFIRE HIT DOWNTOWN KABUL AFGHANISTAN

This is a developing news story so we only have sketchy information, but CNN is reporting the Taliban have taken over several buildings around the main government building in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Read the report here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/01/18/afghanistan.explosion/index.html