A BRAZEN, 18-hour Taliban attack on the Afghan capital has ended after insurgents who had holed up overnight in two buildings were overcome by heavy gunfire from Afghan-led forces and pre-dawn air assaults from US-led coalition helicopters.
Kabul residents awoke today to a second day of loud explosions and the crackle of gunfire.
As darkness turned to dawn, Afghan-led forces fired one rocket-propelled grenade after another into a building in the centre of the city where insurgents began their attack overnight.
Fighting there and at the Afghan parliament building on the southwest side of the city ended just before 8am (1.30pm AEST).
Authorities said one police officer and at least 17 militants were killed in the multi-pronged attacks in Kabul and three eastern cities.
The violence showed the Taliban and their allies are far from beaten and underscored the security challenge facing government forces as US and NATO forces draw down.
