Blast near NATO HQ in Kabul kills seven
Sunday, 16 August 2009
KABUL, Aug 15 (AP): A suicide car bomb exploded outside the main gate of the NATO-led military mission Saturday, killing seven Afghans and wounding 91 in an attack that penetrated a heavily guarded neighbourhood five days before the country's presidential election.
The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives at the doorstep to the international military headquarters, an assault possibly aimed at sending the message that the Taliban can attack anywhere as Afghans gear up for their second-ever direct presidential election. Militants have warned Afghans not to vote and have threatened to attack voting sites.
The NATO headquarters - where top commander US Gen Stanley McChrystal is based - sits beside the US Embassy and shares the same street as the presidential palace. The explosion was the first major attack in Kabul since February, when eight Taliban militants struck three government buildings simultaneously in the heart of the city, an assault that killed 20 people and the eight assailants.
Afghanistan has braced for attacks ahead of the election. International workers in the country were planning on working from home over the next week or had been encouraged to leave the country. US, NATO and Afghan troops were working to protect voting sites, particularly in regions where militants hold sway.
Bloodied and dazed Afghans wandered the street after Saturday's blast, which rattled the capital and sent a black plume of smoke skyward. Children - many of whom congregate outside the NATO gate to sell gum to Westerners - were among the wounded. Windows of nearby antique shops were shattered and blood smeared the ground.
The Taliban claimed responsibility and said the target was the NATO headquarters and the US Embassy some 150 yards down the street. A top Kabul police official blamed al-Qaida.
The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives at the doorstep to the international military headquarters, an assault possibly aimed at sending the message that the Taliban can attack anywhere as Afghans gear up for their second-ever direct presidential election. Militants have warned Afghans not to vote and have threatened to attack voting sites.
The NATO headquarters - where top commander US Gen Stanley McChrystal is based - sits beside the US Embassy and shares the same street as the presidential palace. The explosion was the first major attack in Kabul since February, when eight Taliban militants struck three government buildings simultaneously in the heart of the city, an assault that killed 20 people and the eight assailants.
Afghanistan has braced for attacks ahead of the election. International workers in the country were planning on working from home over the next week or had been encouraged to leave the country. US, NATO and Afghan troops were working to protect voting sites, particularly in regions where militants hold sway.
Bloodied and dazed Afghans wandered the street after Saturday's blast, which rattled the capital and sent a black plume of smoke skyward. Children - many of whom congregate outside the NATO gate to sell gum to Westerners - were among the wounded. Windows of nearby antique shops were shattered and blood smeared the ground.
The Taliban claimed responsibility and said the target was the NATO headquarters and the US Embassy some 150 yards down the street. A top Kabul police official blamed al-Qaida.