A wave of attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul and elsewhere have targeted major Western installations, leaving at least 19 people dead.
The Taliban say the attacks are the beginning of the group's "spring offensive".
In Kabul, attackers targeted the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters and the German and British embassies.
The Afghan parliament was also in the line of fire, with some MPs and their bodyguards taking to the roof to join in the fight.
Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Kabul, Afghanistan.