Suicide car blast kills 21 in S. Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomb has exploded in a crowded bazaar
in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, killing at least 21 civilians and
injuring 13.
NATO said one of its convoys was a few hundred metres (yards) away when the
blast happened in Panjwayi district but was not involved in the blast and it was
not clear if it was the intended target.
"There was a suicide attack in Panjwayi bazaar. Twenty-one civilians,
including children, were killed and 13 others were injured," interior ministry
spokesman Yousuf Stanizai told AFP Thursday.
A Kandahar government spokesman gave the same casualty toll and said it was
not clear who the bomb was aimed at.
"It was a suicide attack carried out by terrorists," Daud Ahmadi said. "Its
target is not known as there were not any government or NATO present when it
took place."
Panjwayi is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Kandahar city and is a
known Taliban stronghold.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that operates in
the area said it had a convoy passing through Panjwayi at the time of the
explosion to recover vehicles involved in two earlier roadside bombings.
However, it was not clear if the convoy was the intended target of the
suicide attacker as the blast was a few hundred metres (yards) from military
vehicles, Major Quentin Innes told AFP.
The earlier blasts killed a Canadian soldier and wounded four others.
ISAF said its initial reports were that 10-15 people were killed in the blast
and about the same number wounded.
