Thousands of jubilant Taliban protesters stormed the defunct U.S. Embassy in the center of Kabul yesterday, setting fire to several cars and an outbuilding before symbolically ripping down the compound’s giant U.S. seal. In the biggest rally since Afghanistan was threatened with attack two weeks ago, the demonstrators shouted, “We are the people of Kabul. We are ready for jihad,” before burning an American flag and an effigy of President Bush. The last U.S. diplomats pulled out of the embassy in 1989.