BREAKING NEWS

Karzai says NATO failed as 18-hr Kabul attack ends

KABUL - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday that a coordinated Taliban attack on Kabul showed a "failure" by Afghan intelligence and especially by NATO, while Washington signaled the Haqqani group of militants was responsible.
The Afghan leader's comments underscored abiding divisions between the Afghan government and Washington, but if the role of the Haqqanis is confirmed, it could lead to fresh tensions in ties between the United States and Pakistan.
The Haqqanis, who are allied to the Taliban, are based in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan and analysts say Islamabad regards them as a strategic asset.
"We had received a great deal of intelligence that the Haqqanis were planning these kinds of attacks," US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at a news briefing.