It is being described as the biggest attack in Kabul in the last 11 years as the Taliban easily penetrated one of the most secure parts of the country.<br /><br />Fighting continued for almost 18 hours and defence officials say 36 fighters were killed and 18 captured in the capital Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan.<br /><br />Afghan security sources reveal that that for the past five days the attackers had smuggled explosives and weapons into this site hidden in cement bags and paint pots.<br /><br />Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, called the attacks an intelligence failure both for his government and NATO forces.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Kabul.
