U.S. attacks al Qaeda holdouts in Kandahar

(CNN) -- Loud explosions and machine gun fire were heard early Monday morning in the Afghan city of Kandahar as U.S. Special Forces launched what appeared to be an assault on a hospital where heavily armed members of al Qaeda have been holed up for six weeks.

A U.S. Special Forces soldier could be seen creeping along the outside of the Mir Weis hospital shortly after 6 a.m. (8:30 p.m. ET). The hospital is on the western edge of Kandahar. (Full story)

Several loud explosions were heard in the area followed by bursts automatic weapon fire. Gunfire could also be heard inside the hospital wing where as many as six al Qaeda fighters had barricaded themselves. They had threatened to blow themselves up if anyone tried to move against them.

The gunfire stopped after about an hour.

All roads leading to the hospital were closed with barbed wire barricades. U.S. Special Forces and local Afghan troops were guarding the roads.

Latest developments

• U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and four senators who toured the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Sunday said they were satisfied with the treatment of the 158 Afghan war detainees housed there. Rumsfeld said the troops guarding the detainees have "been doing a first-rate job. I came down to say thank you." (Full story)

• The Wall Street Journal said Sunday it had received an e-mailed picture showing one of its reporters being held at gunpoint. Daniel Pearl, 38, has been missing since he left his quarters in Karachi, Pakistan, on Wednesday to conduct an interview regarding alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid. (Full story)

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• Interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai arrived Sunday in Washington. Karzai, the first Afghan leader to visit the United States in nearly 40 years, is scheduled to meet with President Bush and House and Senate leaders. (Full story)

• Military officials detained five Afghans suspected of trying to cross the perimeter of a U.S. Army base in Kandahar Saturday night, authorities said. Soldiers later determined that one of the detainees was a man who was under the influence of drugs and the other four were children collecting firewood. The man is still being held.

• Afghanistan's interim foreign minister expressed optimism Saturday that his nation can rebuild after more than two decades of conflict, provided that the international community remains committed to supplying support. "What we need is continued engagement from the United States, first of all, in the war against terror, which will help stability in Afghanistan and the whole region ... and also in the reconstruction efforts of our people," Abdullah told CNN. (Full story)

• British authorities confirmed Saturday that Britons Asif Iqbal, 20, and Shafiq Rasul, 24, were being held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. British officials have visited the two men and a third Briton, 22-year-old Feroz Abbasi, each of whom said they had "no complaint" about their treatment by U.S. troops.

• U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Saturday that Iran "has no love" for al Qaeda despite reports the country is harboring terrorists. Annan made the comments during a one-day visit to Iran. (Full story)

• U.S. authorities have identified the fifth and previously unknown suspected "suicide terrorist" shown on a videotape released by the Justice Department last week. (Full story)