'Still a force to be reckoned with'; Even in their new training role in north, Canadian soldiers will still be at risk.

The brazen attack by insurgents on a Kabul hotel Tuesday is a clear sign the Taliban remain "a force to be reckoned with" in all regions of Afghanistan as the combat mission for Canada and other NATO troops draws to a close, says one security expert.

The attack, which left 19 people dead - including nine insurgents - is an indication well-planned attacks in more secure locations are still possible in the conflict-stricken country, said Jez Littlewood, director of the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies at Ottawa's Carleton University.

"To do an armed assault on one of the premier hotels in Kabul and conduct that attack for (hours) ... before it was brought to an end sends quite a strong message in terms of this being a sophisticated attack," Littlewood said. "This indicates Taliban forces and those involved are still capable of launching sophisticated assaults, even in areas of Afghanistan which are in one sense safer ... than other areas like Kandahar or Helmand.

"It demonstrates sophistication, but it's not going to necessarily alter the overall balance of the situation. What it signals to the Afghan government and others is that the Taliban is still a force to be reckoned with, that this conflict is by no means over."

A Canadian man survived Tuesday's attack at the Intercontinental Hotel and escaped unharmed, according to a spokesperson at the Canadian Embassy in Afghanistan.

The name of the man, who was a guest at the hotel, was not disclosed because of privacy concerns, spokesperson Emma Welford said.

The battle for control of the hotel raged for more than four hours. It ended abruptly after a U.S. army helicopter shot and killed three insurgents who were firing down on Afghan security forces from the roof.

Littlewood said such precision attacks on larger public areas are likely to remain in the shadows of more frequent - but smaller-scale -assaults in less-populated regions of the country that don't boast the same level of security felt in Kabul.

As Canadian soldiers are leaving their five-year-old combat mission in the country's south, they are being replaced by a military training mission in the north that involves about one-third as many troops.

Littlewood said risks remain despite the change in purpose for Canada's military in Afghanistan.

"(After the combat mission ends) Canadian troops are still in the country, there's still a danger to personal security, even if you're not involved in front-line combat operations," he said.

"The danger is still there, we can anticipate there may be attempts on military training grounds in the future ... but I don't think training forces will be the prime target - it sort of lacks the symbolism, whereas a hotel or government building, there's an element of significant symbolism there for an attack."

Following the attack, the hotel was subsequently cleared, room by room, by Afghan forces.

The Intercontinental sits atop a hill in the west of the capital near the main Afghan police academy. At one time, it was Kabul's finest hotel. It was often rocketed during the Soviet war and the Afghan civil war, then fell on even harder times during the years the Taliban was in power. It never recovered its position as the city's leading hotel after U.S. forces ousted the radical Islamists from power soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Most diplomats and western dignitaries, like visiting cabinet ministers, now stay at the much newer and more posh Serena Hotel in the city centre.

Despite massive and evertightening security, as a beacon of luxury with a well-heeled, well-connected foreign clientele, the Serena has often been attacked by suicide bombers, who have inevitably been trailed by gunmen. They have succeeded several times in penetrating the hotel lobby before being repelled by security guards.

The Intercontinental may be a faded glory, with cracks in many walls and a dark, musty interior. But it had not been attacked in recent years. This may have been because of its relative isolation and the fact that it can only be entered by a single road that has multiple, fortified checkpoints.

However, in a city with few good hotels or restaurants, the Intercontinental had become popular again with Afghans in the past few years.