Afghanistan marked its Independence Day today as the long war against militants drags on. President Hamid Karzai attended the low-profile event in Kabul, placing a floral wreath at the base of the marble independence memorial near his palace.A spokesman of President's office said the ceremony was attended by western dignitaries including the commander of foreign forces, US General David Petraeus, who watched Karzai inspect a guard of honour. Afghanistan's Independence Day was traditionally marked by a military parade and other public events, but these were scaled down after a Taliban attack in 2008 that was seen as an assassination attempt on Karzai.