Attack on ISAF HQ - Car Bomb kills 7, wounds 91 in Kabul

[Gunner98]

Suicide bombers continue to kill and injure Afghans to ensure instability as election approaches.  Killing your own people in the name of...with a goal of...?

http://www.cbc.ca/crossroads-afghanistan/story/2009/08/15/afghanistan-explosion.html

A suicide car bomb exploded near the main gate of NATO headquarters in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least three civilians and wounding 70 others, according to media reports quoting an Afghan security official.

The blast occurred around 8:40 a.m. local time, the CBC's Susan Ormiston reported from the capital. Sirens were heard across the city soon after the explosion, which sent a massive plume of smoke into the sky above an area that is also home to numerous embassies.

Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. spokeswoman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, said the explosion occurred near the gate of ISAF headquarters in the Wazir Akhbar Khan district.

Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry, said the casualties are all civilians and warned the toll could rise.

Television footage of the scene showed firefighters hosing down several smouldering vehicles destroyed by the blast beside the gate's concrete barriers. There are reports children were among the wounded.

A purported Taliban spokesman called media organizations to claim responsibility for the attack and said the target was the U.S. Embassy.

The explosion comes less than a week before the country holds elections for president and provincial councils.

The Taliban, Afghanistan's former hardline rulers, have vowed to disrupt the Aug. 20 vote, in which Afghan President Hamid Karzai is considered a front-runner.

 

[PMedMoe]

A suicide car bomb exploded outside of NATO's headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul Saturday, killing at least seven people and wounding 91 others less than a week before the country's presidential election.
Article Link

The bomber dodged several security checkpoints set up by Afghan police and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to detonate the bomb around 8:35 a.m. local time.

"The capital of Kabul is an area that we have seen very tight security," CNN's Atia Abawi told CTV News Channel early Saturday morning. "There's a security blanket exploding around the city a week before the elections to make sure that they can catch any suspicious activity. Obviously they weren't able to stop today's attack."

Some of the wounded included ISAF soldiers, said ISAF spokesperson Brig. Gen. E. Tremblay. He did not give a specific number.

According to Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a spokesperson for the Afghan Defence Ministry, the dead were all Afghans.

Four Afghan soldiers were among the wounded, the ministry said, as was Awa Alam Nuristani, a member of parliament who also serves as President Hamid Karzai's campaign manager for women.

Karzai condemned the attack, which he said would not deter Afghans from voting in Thursday's election.

"The enemies of Afghanistan, by conducting such attacks, are trying to create fear among the people as we get close to the election," Karzai said in a statement. He said Afghans "are not afraid of any threats, and they will go to cast their votes."

The attack is the worst in the Afghan capital in six months and appears aimed at intimidating civilians against voting in next week's election.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the target was both NATO headquarters and the U.S. Embassy, which is about 150 metres away.

Militants have warned they will attack voting stations on election day.

More on link, including video.

 

[PMedMoe]

Canadian injured in Kabul suicide bombing
Article Link

A Canadian living in Kabul and an Afghan employee of the Canadian Embassy were among those injured when a suicide car bomb exploded outside of NATO's headquarters in the city, Foreign Affairs has confirmed.

The Canadian suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Foreign Affairs said, while the Afghan employee sustained serious injuries.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon called the bombing a "cowardly and despicable act."

The identity of the injured Canadian has not been released.

The bomb killed at least seven people and wounded 91 others, less than a week before the country's presidential election.

More on link, including video

 

[The Bread Guy]

....in .pdf format at non-terrorist site here (Arabic followed by Google English version):

25 Americans killed in a martyrdom attack in front of American embassy in Kabul

Zabihollah (Mujahid) - 15/8/2009

The mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate benefit from the capital, Kabul, that killed twenty-five officers and a guard from the attack by U.S. martyrdom at the ninth of the morning in front the U.S. Embassy in downtown Kabul.

Carried out the attack, a resident of the state Department cable Bgrami hero / by Ahmed Al-Saraf
type of car bomb Toyota b 500 kg explosive material, when a large number of American troops and
U.S. embassy officials standing at the gate of the embassy ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

Official RCMP statement:

On August 15, 2009 at 8:15 a.m. local Afghanistan time, Sergeant Brian Kelly of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sustained non-life threatening injuries following the detonation of a Vehicle-Borne Incendiary Explosive Device in the capital city of Kabul.

The incident occurred outside of the main entrance to the NATO International Security Assistance Force Headquarters.

Sgt. Kelly had just exited his vehicle and was on his way into the main entrance of the Headquarters building when the explosion occurred.

Sgt. Kelly sustained shrapnel damage to his leg and has had successful surgery at Kabul International Airport Military Hospital to remove the shrapnel.

A 29 year veteran of the RCMP, Sgt. Kelly is 55 years old and is based out of RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa. He commenced his 9-month mission in Afghanistan in June of this year and has been stationed in Kabul since his arrival.

He is a veteran of international peace operations, having previously served on a UN Mission in the former Yugoslavia.

Sgt. Kelly’s family has been notified. At this time we ask that you please respect their privacy.

More from CanWest News Service:

.... Sgt. Brian Kelly had just exited his vehicle and was on his way into the main entrance of the NATO building when the explosion occurred, said the RCMP in a statement.  The 55-year-old officer from Ottawa sustained shrapnel damage to his leg and had successful surgery at Kabul International Airport Military Hospital to remove the shrapnel.  His injuries were not life-threatening, the RCMP said.  Kelly started a nine-month mission in Afghanistan in June ....