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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Suicide Bomber Kills 13 in Afghanistan | Suicide Bomber Kills 13 in Afghanistan |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber who walked into the crowded center of Khost City in eastern Afghanistan on Monday morning as foreign and Afghan soldiers mounted a joint foot patrol killed three international service members and at least 10 Afghan police and civilians, according to witnesses and local hospitals. | |
| A spokesman for the American-led coalition forces here said that three international service members and a civilian translator were killed in the blast but he did not specify the location in accordance with military rules barring the release of information about deaths until the next of kin are informed. | |
| The Taliban took credit for the attack. “A foreign and Afghan force joint convoy was targeted this morning around 9 a.m. at the vicinity of Khost Governor Office, while the soldiers were dismounted in the area,” the Taliban said in a statement to the media. “The attack was carried out with a suicide vest worn by one of our hero Mujahid, named Shoiab Kunduzi.” | |
| Among the 10 Afghan dead were four police officers from the Khost Quick Reaction Force including the force’s commander. More than 60 Afghan civilians were wounded in the blast, according to doctors at the government-run Khost Provincial Hospital and private hospitals which were also receiving the wounded. | Among the 10 Afghan dead were four police officers from the Khost Quick Reaction Force including the force’s commander. More than 60 Afghan civilians were wounded in the blast, according to doctors at the government-run Khost Provincial Hospital and private hospitals which were also receiving the wounded. |
| The Khost governor’s office condemned the attack. | The Khost governor’s office condemned the attack. |
| Khost is on the border with Pakistan near Miram Shah, the capital of North Waziristan in the ungoverned tribal areas. Miram Shah is the home base of the Haqqani network, a powerful element of the Afghan insurgency which is affiliated with the Taliban and which the United States says ties with Pakistan. It has been responsible for staging some of the most sophisticated suicide bombings and it has infiltrated Khost Province. The international and Afghan troops routinely pick up Haqqani-linked insurgents as well as bomb makers and financiers in Khost. | Khost is on the border with Pakistan near Miram Shah, the capital of North Waziristan in the ungoverned tribal areas. Miram Shah is the home base of the Haqqani network, a powerful element of the Afghan insurgency which is affiliated with the Taliban and which the United States says ties with Pakistan. It has been responsible for staging some of the most sophisticated suicide bombings and it has infiltrated Khost Province. The international and Afghan troops routinely pick up Haqqani-linked insurgents as well as bomb makers and financiers in Khost. |
| Attacks by suicide bombers wearing suicide vests can be especially lethal since typically they are able to get much closer to their targets and even the extensive body armor worn by international forces leaves some parts of the body vulnerable, said Maj. Adam Wojack, a spokesman for the coalition. “Even though our individuals wear helmets and body armor, so much of their body is still vunerable,” said Major Wojack. “It’s the shrapnel, more than the blast, the legs, arms, necks, face are unprotected and suicide bombers on foot can get closer; they are can be feet away from their victims,” he said. The vulnerability of Afghan civilians is far greater. | Attacks by suicide bombers wearing suicide vests can be especially lethal since typically they are able to get much closer to their targets and even the extensive body armor worn by international forces leaves some parts of the body vulnerable, said Maj. Adam Wojack, a spokesman for the coalition. “Even though our individuals wear helmets and body armor, so much of their body is still vunerable,” said Major Wojack. “It’s the shrapnel, more than the blast, the legs, arms, necks, face are unprotected and suicide bombers on foot can get closer; they are can be feet away from their victims,” he said. The vulnerability of Afghan civilians is far greater. |
An employee of The New York Times in Khost, Afghanistan, contributed reporting. | An employee of The New York Times in Khost, Afghanistan, contributed reporting. |