Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- Exactly 10 years ago , a brutal civil war was being fought in Afghanistan as rebels advanced on the Taliban in the capital , Kabul . From the former five-star Intercontinental Hotel -- a luxury hotel without TVs which were banned by the Taliban -- we watched as the rebels launched a daring raid on the airport . We could see the rockets flying in and flames coming from the fuel dumps and damaged aircraft . A few hours later we heard about the attacks in the United States . The Intercontinental was where we watched the civil war , and where we were on 9/11 though the TV ban meant bizarrely we could not watch those events , and it was where the Taliban foreign minister denied Osama bin Laden 's involvement . This year it came under attack from the Taliban . It 's in the heart of Kabul and could symbolize the fragility of progress . A few months ago the Taliban were able to storm the Intercontinental and put up a three-hour gun battle that eventually involved NATO coming in to quell . That 's part of the story here . There 's the appearance of security but the Taliban can mount complex attacks . The security we see is a veneer and that 's in the capital . Meanwhile the rest of the country is open to violence and Taliban intimidation . In Kabul now , you can walk the streets but you ca n't set a pattern without opening up the risk of kidnap . For Afghans , the city is relatively safe . People blame the police for a lot of bribery at the various checkpoints . But the city has improved . It 's much greener because the irrigation systems have been repaired and that makes the city look and feel brighter . Under the Taliban so much had been destroyed and it was always dusty . Now there are new hotels being built and lots of brand new glass in the windows . The city looks and feels much better than it did but that does not make the place secure and right now the city is on very , very high alert . There are more checkpoints and the searches are much more thorough . Everyone is aware the Taliban can launch complex attacks , like the one on the Intercontinental , and the anniversary of 9/11 would be a prime time for them . Any moment when they can launch an attack that makes them look bigger or stronger than they are , they will exploit because of the worldwide headlines it would generate . The thing about being in Kabul on 9/11 is we could not see any of the images because the Taliban had banned TV . We could only visualize it through what others were telling us . I was on the phone to my wife when the second plane hit the World Trade Center and at that moment I knew it was terrorism and most likely Osama bin Laden . He was the only one launching these 'spectacular ' attacks against the U.S. that we had seen previously with the USS Cole and the embassies in Tanzania and Kenya . Back then , eventually the Taliban said it was not safe for us . Under Afghan culture when they invite you into the country they protect you . This was their way of saying we needed to leave . It was only when we were kicked out of the country about 10 days later that I got to see the damage from 9 /11 for the first time . One of the hardest lessons over the past decade is the failure of the international community to step up . It 's frustrating that the window of opportunity that was there at the beginning was missed -- when all the Afghans wanted was weapons and warlords to be removed and disarmed so that they could have a normal life . But the commitment that the international community gave was only sufficient only for its own needs - enough troops only to chase out al Qaeda -- and did not address the fundamental problem of Afghans . Then the humanitarian money over the following years did not measure up to the task and the Taliban took advantage of that and exploited it . It 's also frustrating to realize -- without trying to heap all the blame on one person -- the failings or weaknesses of President Hamid Karzai have limited what can be achieved in the country . When I first interviewed him he said the right things -- he wanted peace and stability for the whole country -- but he has failed to deliver , ran a corrupt regime and been accused by many of lying . One of the big political issues now is to get agreement on the number of U.S. forces that can be based in Afghanistan . That will set in stone the future relationship between the two countries . I do n't think anyone expects good security in the near-term . There are no quick fix solutions to the fight with the Taliban . There is a sense among Western officials that the Taliban is getting worn down and worn out but that is not what the Taliban says . They say they are ready to fight until the occupying force , NATO , leaves the country . The scene is being set for a continuation of what we have already seen and as coalition forces draw down the Taliban will take any advantage . On a personal level when there were the 7/7 attacks in London 2005 I was in the U.S. and it made me very concerned about my family and I felt the same in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 . I spend a lot of time examining the al Qaeda threat , and while I am happy that I put it in perspective and do n't overblow it in my own my mind , I am very aware of what that threat could be . So if there is a heightened threat warning I would advise my friends and family to be cautious .
The Intercontinental Hotel has entertained diplomats and come under Taliban attack . Hide Caption President Karzai 's weaknesses have also limited what can be achieved in the country . Kabul enjoys a veneer of security but the rest of the country is open to Taliban violence .