thedrifter
09-08-06, 08:08 PM
Fatal Afghan bomb hits near U.S. Embassy
By CARLOTTA GALL The New York Times
Published: September 8, 2006
KABUL A suicide bomber smashed a car into an American military vehicle just yards from the United States embassy in downtown Kabul this morning, killing at least two American soldiers and 11 civilians, Afghan and American officials said.
At least 29 people were wounded, including two American soldiers.
It was one of the most powerful explosions seen in Kabul, and it comes amid a sharp escalation of violence in Afghanistan. Afghanistan on Saturday will mark the fifth anniversary of the death of the legendary mujahedeen commander Ahmed Shah Masood, who was killed by two Al Qaeda suicide bombers in an assassination that has been linked to the Sept. 11th attacks.
In the bombing today, the soldiers' armored Humvee was so badly damaged that it was hard to believe anyone had survived the blast. The American military said two soldiers had died and two were wounded, but Afghan police at the scene said five American soldiers were killed. Gen. Ali Shah Paktiawal, head of Kabul's police criminal department, said that 11 civilians were killed.
Eyewitnesses said they saw three American soldiers lying in the road after the blast. A car seat and pieces of uniforms were hanging in nearby trees.
An elderly woman sitting outside her home was hit by shrapnel in the chest and died instantly, witnesses said. A boy selling baseball caps on the street and another boy selling secondhand clothes were also killed in the blast, said Abdul Zarif, a shopkeeper. "Another stall owner was wounded and was screaming as his younger brother was also dead," he said.
Meanwhile, military officials from NATO met in Warsaw to discuss the possibility of sending more troops to bolster the international force in Afghanistan. NATO's top commander of operations, James Jones, an American general, said earlier this week that he would ask for 2,500 soldiers to bolster the 18,500 NATO troops currently in the country.
Officials at the talks told Reuters that they did not expect quick offers of more forces from countries that are already taking heavy casualties in Afghanistan or have offered soldiers for the international force being deployed in Lebanon.
John O'Neil contributed reporting from New York.
Ellie
By CARLOTTA GALL The New York Times
Published: September 8, 2006
KABUL A suicide bomber smashed a car into an American military vehicle just yards from the United States embassy in downtown Kabul this morning, killing at least two American soldiers and 11 civilians, Afghan and American officials said.
At least 29 people were wounded, including two American soldiers.
It was one of the most powerful explosions seen in Kabul, and it comes amid a sharp escalation of violence in Afghanistan. Afghanistan on Saturday will mark the fifth anniversary of the death of the legendary mujahedeen commander Ahmed Shah Masood, who was killed by two Al Qaeda suicide bombers in an assassination that has been linked to the Sept. 11th attacks.
In the bombing today, the soldiers' armored Humvee was so badly damaged that it was hard to believe anyone had survived the blast. The American military said two soldiers had died and two were wounded, but Afghan police at the scene said five American soldiers were killed. Gen. Ali Shah Paktiawal, head of Kabul's police criminal department, said that 11 civilians were killed.
Eyewitnesses said they saw three American soldiers lying in the road after the blast. A car seat and pieces of uniforms were hanging in nearby trees.
An elderly woman sitting outside her home was hit by shrapnel in the chest and died instantly, witnesses said. A boy selling baseball caps on the street and another boy selling secondhand clothes were also killed in the blast, said Abdul Zarif, a shopkeeper. "Another stall owner was wounded and was screaming as his younger brother was also dead," he said.
Meanwhile, military officials from NATO met in Warsaw to discuss the possibility of sending more troops to bolster the international force in Afghanistan. NATO's top commander of operations, James Jones, an American general, said earlier this week that he would ask for 2,500 soldiers to bolster the 18,500 NATO troops currently in the country.
Officials at the talks told Reuters that they did not expect quick offers of more forces from countries that are already taking heavy casualties in Afghanistan or have offered soldiers for the international force being deployed in Lebanon.
John O'Neil contributed reporting from New York.
Ellie