Taliban bomber blamed for Afghan wedding carnage, at least 40 killed

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KANDAHAR, June 10 (AFP): NATO Thursday blamed the Taliban for a suicide attack that killed at least 40 Afghan wedding guests in an area where US-led troops are massing to drive insurgents from their fiefdom.
Officials said a suicide bomber strapped with explosives had walked into Wednesday's wedding party -- which relatives said was attended by members of an anti-Taliban militia -- and unleashed a deadly hail of ballbearings.
The Taliban, who are leading a nearly nine-year insurgency against the Western-backed government and the estimated 142,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, denied responsibility and blamed a NATO airstrike for the deaths.
More than 70 people were wounded when the explosion ripped through the celebrations in Arghandab district, 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Kandahar city, local officials said.
Most of the victims were male as the explosion occurred in an area of the wedding festivities reserved for men, they said.
The groom's brother, Mohammad Zanif, told AFP: "My brother was wounded. We don't know what happened. There was an enormous explosion and as a result everyone there was either killed or injured."
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday made his first official visit to Afghanistan, ruling out the prospect of sending extra forces and calling for quicker progress to bring troops home.
His comments came as the top NATO commander in Afghanistan confirmed that a flagship campaign against the Taliban would take longer than expected in Kandahar, where violence has increased and Afghan security forces are short.
Cameron, whose visit was not pre-announced for security reasons, held talks with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and declared Afghanistan "the most important national security issue for my country".
But he added: "the issue of more troops is not remotely on the UK agenda".