(Thumbnail image: BBC News)

“That’s the heart of Kabul, Afghanistan.  Gun shots ringing out in the capital just hours ago following a string of deadly attacks targeting key government buildings just moments before new cabinet members were being sworn in.”(FOX News)

After months of squabbling, Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, was swearing in new cabinet members Monday when a 5 hour battle erupted in the heart of Kabul.  The attack was carried out by up to 30 Taliban militants targeting the presidential palace, the departments of finance and justice--and left at least 5 people dead.    

We’re got perspectives from Fox News, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English, ABC News and The Telegraph

The attackers seemed to come out of nowhere—one drove an ambulance, others wore suicide vests, and many threw grenades at security forces.  On MSNBC, Jim Miklashevski says the Taliban’s latest attack was highly sophisticated and designed to send a clear signal…

“The message from the Taliban in this attack was clear to the people of Afghanistan.  That despite whatever progress politically or militarily against the Taliban here, the Taliban is also here to stay.”

But reactions are mixed about the impact of the Taliban’s intimidation campaign.  An Afghan official and Al Jazeera English reporter had two very different views.

OFFICIAL: “’It does not mean the Taliban is strong. It means they cannot target military targets only the Afghan people. It means that they are weak.’

REPORTER: ...the strikes will bring into question the credibility of Karzai's authority and the military strategy in Afghanistan of Barack Obama…”

And with 30-thousand more American troops headed to Afghanistan, questions persist about the commitment of Afghan security forces in keeping their country secure. Lama Hasan says on Good Morning America that Monday’s breaches bring that question to the forefront.

“This latest attack raises serious security concerns.   How can the Taliban go through so many security checkpoints without getting detected? 

So where does this leave the already teetering Afghan government?  Con Coughlin writes in The Telegraph that any hopes of working with the Taliban are probably history.

“One notion that has been floated as a possible solution to resolving the conflict is to find a way to open negotiations with moderate Taliban leaders. But I fear… the prospect of getting any of them to sit down at a negotiating table with President Karzai…is remote indeed.”

Finally, Fox News’ Conor Powell reports that Afghanistan’s growing violence is running off the very people who were brought in to promote peace. 

“It’s having a devastating impact, particularly among the international community.  Every day I seem to talk to an aid worker or U.N. official or NGO worker who is leaving Afghanistant—people who have been here for years and have a lot of experience here.  There’s just so much violence and so little stability here that people are leaving.”

So, do you think the latest attack is a desperate attempt to scare the Afghan people? Is it a sign that the Taliban is gaining strength?

Writer: Chance Seales

Producer: Newsy Staff