US planes bombarded Kabul and the southern Taliban stronghold of Kandahar Saturday evening, with residents reporting multiple explosions, one of them in the center of the Afghan capital.
Power was cut off in Kabul prior to the attack, which began shortly after 7:30pm (1500 GMT).
Residents counted eight explosions as fire from Taliban anti-aircraft positions lit up the night sky.
"One bomb seemed to fall right on the city center, but the other explosions came from the area of the airport," one resident said.
The Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) quoted an eyewitness in Kandahar as saying the southern city was coming under intense plane and missile attack.
A large fire had broken out around a major Taliban military compound in the northeastern part of Kandahar, the Pakistan-based AIP said, adding that several missiles had fallen on civilian areas.
The Taliban claims more than 300 civilians have been killed since the US bombings in Afghanistan began on October 7. The numbers, however, are virtually impossible to verify given severe restrictions on journalist movements around the country -- KABUL (AFP)
