Afghan troops take to Kabul's streets after attack on Karzai

About 100 people were rounded up for questioning about the attack that killed three people and wounded eight during a government celebration Sunday, an Afghan intelligence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.

The Defense Ministry spokesman, Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, confirmed people had been detained but didn't say how many. He said some of those questioned had already been freed.

The ability of militants to get close enough to fire rockets and automatic rifles at a grandstand holding Karzai and foreign dignitaries underscored the fragility of Afghanistan's government as it fights the former ruling Taliban movement and allied insurgents.

"The terrorist threat is real, it is deadly, and defeating this enemy has to be a top priority of the United States, of the Afghan government, of the Iraqi government, and the NATO alliance," White House press secretary Dana Perino said Monday.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the attack demonstrated again that the Taliban "will use the most extreme violence to oppose Afghanistan's freedom and democratic development."

The Taliban claimed its fighters staged the assault. Three of the attackers were killed, Karzai's government said, but the Taliban said three other insurgents got away.

Sunday's lapse brought questions about the readiness of Karzai's government to follow up on its demand for the expanding Afghan police and army to take greater control of security. U.S. and NATO-led troops provide security in much of the country now.

But the White House defended efforts by Afghan forces.

"I think that they need to be praised for what they've been able to accomplish so far, and they need to be helped, in order to get to where they need to be," Perino said. "And we're committed to being there. ... They've accomplished a lot."