At least six people were killed in an explosion that rocked a grocery store frequented by foreigners in Kabul.

Suicide bombers this morning struck a hotel in Kabul which is frequented by foreigners.

A US civilian escaped an attempt to abduct him in the Afghan capital today, throwing himself from a moving car after his armed attackers had forced him into the trunk, officials and witnesses said.

A UN election worker holding dual British and Irish nationality is among three foreigners seized in Afghanistan today.

An Irish woman was among three foreign election workers kidnapped by armed men in the Afghan capital, Kabul, today.

Twelve years after Soviet fighters were forced to withdraw in humiliation, armed Russian troops are back in Afghanistan, raising curiosity and some anxiety in the capital over the possible role of international peacekeepers.

Residents of the Afghan capital today peered through the open doors of abandoned Taliban military bases and whispered to each other: ‘‘Are they gone?’’

US jets bombarded the centre of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and residents said a strike that hit homes killed at least five civilians - including a 16-year-old girl and four in one family who lived near a Taliban tank unit.