Suspected militants fired rockets, detonated explosives and engaged in an intense gun battle with security forces Wednesday near the site of a jirga, or peace meeting, where Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke.  Read the full story or watch CNN's Nic Robertson on the scene

Karzai planned the critical peace gathering with tribal leaders to discuss a reintegration plan for Taliban members who renounce violence and lay down their arms.

But persuading the Taliban to do that – and the process with which to accomplish it – has raised more questions than answers, experts said.

Photo at top: 1,600 delegates from across the country and Western diplomats attended the opening of the "peace jirga" in a giant air-conditioned tent.