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Afghanistan: Suicide bomber hits Italian base in Herat Afghanistan: Twin blasts hit western city of Herat
(40 minutes later)
A suicide bomber has attacked the compound of a Nato-led reconstruction team in western Afghanistan, killing at least two people, officials say. At least four people were killed after twin bomb blasts in the western Afghan city of Herat, including one at the base of a Nato-led reconstruction team.
Several others were wounded in the assault on the Italian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) base in the city of Herat. The fatalities occurred after a roadside bomb struck in the city centre, wounding 31 others.
A second blast was also reported elsewhere in the city, while witnesses said they heard gunfire at the site. In the second assault, a suicide bomber attacked the Italian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) base on the outskirts of the city.
The Taliban recently declared a "spring offensive" of attacks in Afghanistan.The Taliban recently declared a "spring offensive" of attacks in Afghanistan.
"At this stage, initial reports say that there has been an attack in the vicinity of the Herat PRT compound," a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force said from Kabul. "There was a suicide attack at the gate of Herat PRT and a second in the city centre," Farooq Kohistani, Herat's criminal investigation chief, told AFP.
Witnesses at the scene of the PRT base said gunshots could still be heard.
At least two suicide bombers were said to have attacked the compound, while a number of attackers tried to get inside.
'Busy time'
''The first attack was a powerful bomb blast. It happened at a busy place at a busy time. The windows of nearby buildings were broken. I was nearby when the explosion took place," an Afghan intelligence official in Herat told the BBC.
Television pictures from Herat showed at least two vehicles destroyed and troops scurrying for cover, Reuters news agency reported.Television pictures from Herat showed at least two vehicles destroyed and troops scurrying for cover, Reuters news agency reported.
Italy has about 3,800 troops serving in Afghanistan, the majority of them in the west.
The BBC's Quentin Somerville says Herat - a relatively peaceful city near the border with Iran - is due to be soon handed to Afghan control, and so the attack is quite significant.