KABUL: A suicide car bomber killed three foreign troops and wounded 13 Afghan civilians in an attack on a convoy near the US embassy in Kabul yesterday, the Nato-led coalition said, one of the worst attacks on international forces in the Afghan capital in months.
The attack near the heavily fortified embassy comes amid a months-long political stalemate and an emboldened insurgency, with a presidential election still unresolved as most foreign combat troops prepare to leave by the end of the year.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the main road leading to Kabul’s international airport, not far from the sprawling US embassy compound that is also home to other members of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) coalition.
ISAF said in a short statement three of its troops had been killed and it was investigating the incident. The coalition recalled an earlier statement that said four troops had been killed. At least five were wounded.
Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayub Salangi said on Twitter a suicide car bomber had targeted a convoy of vehicles carrying foreign troops. In a text message to journalists, a Taliban spokesman said the suicide bomber, identified only as Bilal, had been lying in wait for foreign troops in a car packed with explosives.
Poland’s military identified one of the dead as Rafal Celebudzki, a platoon commander who had also served in Iraq. Two other Polish soldiers were wounded.
The blast tore through cars and shattered shop windows on the road a few hundred metres from the main embassy gate.
Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said 13 Afghan civilians were wounded and 17 nearby cars damaged.
A witness saw the body of one foreigner in a uniform lying on the ground while other coalition troops cordoned off the area and rushed to help the wounded. Ambulances arrived within minutes of the blast during the morning rush hour at about 8am.
“It was a huge blast,” said wounded bystander Haji Awal Gul, his shirt splattered with blood as he stood on the roadside.
Taliban insurgents have been exploiting the uncertainty, launching bombings and attacks on government security forces and officials across Afghanistan.
In western Herat province, one US soldier was killed when an unidentified member of the Afghan security forces turned on his trainers late on Monday, the latest incident in a string of ‘green-on-blue’ attacks.
REUTERS
