Smoke rose from the former US embassy in Kabul on Wednesday. The incident followed a protest in the Afghan capital involving thousands of people who burned an effigy of President George W. Bush and vowed to launch a holy war against America
The protest appeared to be the largest held in Kabul since the United States threatened to attack Afghanistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, and to destroy his training camps.
According to reports on the Dubai-based Al Jazeera satellite channel, the demonstrators moved on to the former embassy and set fire to it.

However, it was reported that the parts of the crowd entered the abandoned US embassy compound and set fire to about five vehicles.
Taliban officials moved the crowd out of the compound, fearing they might burn down the chancellery - which the United States abandoned in 1988.

Bureau Report