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A marathon siege in Kabul's diplomatic enclave ended on Wednesday morning with the death of the last two of a group of gunmen who had held off Western and Afghan security forces for nearly 20 hours.

It was the longest and most audacious militant attack on the Afghan capital in the decade since the Taliban were ousted from power and a stark reminder of the insurgents' resources and reach as Western forces begin to return home.

US Marine Corps General John Allen, the top commander for NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, said the Kabul attack had left 27 dead, including Afghan police, civilians and insurgents.

Allen said that 11 insurgents died in the battle, seven of them in the clearing operation inside the building where the attackers were holed up near the US embassy. Four other attackers served as suicide bombers.

The insurgents had holed up in the multi-story building still under construction and launched their attack early on Tuesday afternoon, firing rockets toward the US and other embassies and the headquarters of NATO-led foreign forces.

The suicide bombers also targeted police buildings in other parts of the city.

Explosions were interspersed with gunfire all afternoon on Tuesday and continued past dawn on Wednesday.

The militants were armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, AK-47 assault rifles and suicide bomb vests.

The raid was another sign that security has deteriorated sharply in Kabul, and was the latest in a string of attacks on Western targets in recent months.

Dong Manyuan, a counter-terrorism expert at the China Institute of International Studies, called the attack "unprecedented", and said it reflected the Taliban's growing strength and ability "to strike at any target at will".

NATO began to hand over its security responsibilities to Afghan forces in July. A staged withdrawal, due to finish in 2014, will involve 140,000 NATO-led troops, including nearly 100,000 US soldiers.

Dong said the Taliban is taking advantage of the planned withdrawal and will continue to launch attacks.

Questions:

1. How long did insurgent militants hold off Western and Afghan forces on Wednesday?

2. What types of buildings did militants attack?

3. Why are militants attacking more frequently recently?

Answers:

1. 20 hours.

2. Police and western buildings including embassies and NATO headquarters.

3. They are taking advantage of planned NATO withdrawl.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

?Christine Mallari is an intern at China Daily. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in a nearby suburb before moving for college. After recently graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in English, Journalism and Mass Communications, she moved to Beijing to work with China Daily. Though she has been working in journalism since high school, this is her first time doing so abroad.