"police say the attack began when a suicide bomber in a car detonated outside parliament's gates.









"inside, lawmakers were meeting to confirm the appointment of a new defense minster. tv pictures showed the speaker sitting calmly as a cloud of dust from the blast fills the room.









"a prolonged fire-fight then followed which police say ended when the security forces killed the six taliban attackers. there's been a surge of taliban attacks since last year's withdrawal of most u.s. and foreign forces.









"the taliban will see today's attack as a propaganda coup <u+2014> as it's against a major government power center in the heart of the capital. the attack is raising questions about how this security lapse could happen and about the overall ability of afghan forces to combat the militants."
taliban militants attack afghan parliament in kabul
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