Taliban blamed for Karzai assassination bid

US and Afghan officials believe the assassination attempt against Afghan president Hamid Karzai was probably the work of fugitive members of the country’s ousted Taliban regime rather than al-Qaida terrorists, defence officials have said.

The foiled assassination bid last Thursday in the southern city of Kandahar and a deadly car bombing a few hours earlier in the capital, Kabul, marked the worst day of violence since the Taliban militia was driven from power.