Taliban attack parliament

Lawmakers criticize security agencies for checkpoint lapses that allowed bomber to pass

A Taliban suicide bomber and six gunmen attacked the Afghan National Assembly on Monday, wounding at least 19 people and sending a plume of black smoke across Kabul. It was the second northern district to be hit in two days.

The attack on the symbolic center of power, one of the most brazen in years, along with a series of Taliban gains elsewhere, raise questions about the NATO-trained Afghan security forces' ability to cope and about how far the militants can advance.