The New York Times has a fascinating roundup of videos from today's deadly Taliban assault on the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul, and one in particular caught our attention: up-close footage of NATO troops battling the militants. NATO and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, it turns out, have YouTube channels where NATO reporters upload everything ranging from press conferences to images of Afghan security forces diffusing improvised explosive devices. Here is today's video:

And here's a video from late last month on what it's like to hunt a Taliban commander:

Update: Wired's Spencer Ackerman is reading NATO's video of the Kabul attack as "an attempt to deny the Taliban a propaganda victory." 

Soldiers, Marines and their Afghan and foreign counterparts work calmly--but fiercely in tandem to direct rifle fire against the insurgents. Message: We got this--even if the Taliban just shattered the sense that NATO and the Afghan government at least had the capitol locked down.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ufriedman at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Uri Friedman