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

Perino also said it was unfair to criticize Afghan security forces because insurgents had been able to stage an attack.

"When it comes to dealing with terrorists like the Taliban or al-Qaida, they just have to have even a semblance it has to look like they had a little bit of an impact for everyone to say that they had a big victory," she said. "Look, we have to be right every single time in order to prevent terrorist attacks. It is damn hard work."

Noting Karzai and Bush talk every other week, Perino predicted they would soon discuss the attack.

The assassination attempt came during a live broadcast of a ceremony marking the Afghan victory over the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. That was sure to bring a sense of unease in Kabul, which has been spared the worst of the violence as fighting escalated between the Taliban and international troops.

In a series of battles Sunday and Monday, Afghan and foreign troops supported by airstrikes killed 23 militants and wounded 20, officials said. No casualties were reported for the Afghan and international forces.

One of the biggest fights came in eastern Afghanistan, where U.S. and Afghan troops fought off coordinated insurgent attacks Monday, leaving a dozen militants dead and a dozen more wounded, the U.S. military said.

A joint force also clashed with militants in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province Monday, killing six Taliban fighters dead and wounding eight, said Zia Wali, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

More than 1,000 people, mostly militants, have been killed in insurgency-related violence in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Afghan and Western officials. About 8,000 died last year.