By holding Kabul's diplomatic zone under siege for 19 hours last week, insurgents backed up by a slick media operation again showed their skill at grabbing headlines and drawing out news coverage.

Taliban spokesmen fed the Western press with regular text messages during an attack which -- while claiming 15 lives, a moderate toll for Afghanistan -- was the longest of its kind yet, dominating international news for two days.

Afterwards, its slick "Voice of Jihad" website -- with press releases in languages including English and a logo of crossed swords surrounding a copy of the Koran -- carried a detailed, though exaggerated, summary of events.

The attack, which targeted the US embassy and was linked to the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, was the latest in the Afghan capital to show insurgents' grasp of the Western media.

Scott Stewart of intelligence analysts Stratfor said that the assault's planners would have known the type of weapons used -- assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades -- would not seriously damage the US embassy.

"Because of that, we believe that this attack was intended really to send a message, to be more symbolic in nature," he said.

Many news outlets carried live, minute-by-minute accounts during the event, combining Taliban statements with Twitter updates from witnesses at the scene and breaking news from official sources.

Militants also have a presence on micro-blogging website Twitter, while supporters on Facebook post propaganda videos, often of attacks on foreign troops.

"When they were ruling Afghanistan (before being ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001), the Taliban almost banned all media -- the only media we had at the time was sharia radio," said Professor Mohammad Isaqzadeh of the political science department at the American University of Afghanistan.

"Now they use the media to promote their messages and their interests. I think they are trying to target both locals and foreigners."

The Taliban, who speak under the names of two main media spokesmen, Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, release information to the press quickly but often exaggerate death tolls and the number of attackers.

In the Kabul attacks, its final toll claimed that "69 enemy soldiers and personnel were killed" and that 15 suicide bombers had been involved.

Official figures said 14 people were killed, including 11 Afghan civilians of whom three were children, by a team of nine attackers.

The Afghan government seeks to counter the propaganda through its own spokespeople, some of whom now also use Twitter, but is bound by the need to verify details of attacks before releasing them.

"As the government, we have to check and coordinate information and make sure we give accurate information to the public -- that is why we are slower than them," said interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui.

"The Taliban are fast but inaccurate. Through this tactic, they can achieve short-term propaganda successes but in the long term, we are the winners because we give the accurate information."

A Twitter spat between the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and a Taliban supporter during the Kabul attack also highlighted the foreign military's efforts to counter Taliban propaganda using social media.

The row started when ISAF demanded of the Taliban: "How much longer will terrorist(s) put civilians in harm's way?"

Using the abbreviations common on the micro-blogging service, Twitter user @abalkhi responded: "i dnt knw. u hve bn pttng thm n 'harm's way' fr da pst 10 yrs.Razd whole vllgs n mrkts.n stil hv da nrve to tlk bout 'harm's way.'"

"Really, @abalkhi?" responded ISAF, citing United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) figures saying that 80 percent of civilian casualties in the first half of this year were caused by insurgents.

"UNAMA is an entity of whom? mine or yours?" Balkhi replied.

ISAF's combative tone continued Wednesday when it tweeted: "Biz as usual in #Kabul. Saw a young girl on her walk to school today. Take that, Taliban!"

ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings said it welcomed the chance Twitter offered to "debate the issues with all, and that includes the enemy".

The international force says that insurgents' recent high-profile attacks in Kabul -- also including last month's suicide bombing at the British Council cultural body and the storming of the Intercontinental Hotel in June -- prove they are losing ground on the front lines.

"To compensate, the insurgents seek to frighten the Afghan people into submission through spectacular or high-profile attacks," said General John Allen, US commander of foreign troops.

But retired Afghan army general Atiqullah Amarkhail argued that insurgents were simply waging "guerrilla warfare" in which "all Afghanistan is a frontline for them and propaganda is the main element".

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