Afghan President Hamid Karzai survived an assassination attempt by Taliban fighters in Kabul on Sunday.

The attack, which involved guns and rockets, took place during an official celebration to mark the 16th anniversary of the fall of the Afghan Communist government to the Mujahidin.
The president appeared on television within an hour of the attack and told Afghans that everything was fine.

"Today, the enemies of Afghanistan, the enemies of Afghanistan's security and progress, tried to disrupt the ceremony and cause disorder and terror. Fortunately, Afghanistan's military forces surrounded them quickly and arrested some of the suspects. "

Karzai has survived three assassination attempts since he came to power in late 2001, but this was the first in the capital.

A Defense Ministry spokesman said three people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed, and eleven wounded in the assault.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the attack disproved Afghan government and NATO assertions that the Taliban insurgency has been weakened.

According to Ye Hailin, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Taliban has actually outgrown U.S. and NATO control. He says the attack reveals heavy problems.

"Karzai and the international community are facing big trouble. After Taliban was toppled in Afghanistan, reconstruction work failed to reach concrete results although years have been spent trying. For NATO and the US, they are facing retaliation from the Taliban. The Afghan government and NATO need to come up with a more comprehensive political solution. Putting more military pressure on them might invite fiercer resistance."