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Suicide bomber targets British vehicle in Afghanistan Suicide bomber targets British vehicle in Afghanistan
(about 2 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber attacked a British vehicle in the eastern part of the Afghan capital Thursday, the latest in a spate of assaults targeting foreigners as most U.S. and international troops are preparing to withdraw by the end of the year. KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber attacked a British Embassy vehicle in the eastern part of the Afghan capital Thursday, killing at least five and injuring more than 30, according to law enforcement.
A police officer at the scene, along with eyewitnesses, said three people were killed and scores injured. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak to the media, said one of those killed was a foreigner, but he didn’t know the person’s nationality. The other two casualties were Afghans, the officer said. It’s the latest in a spate of assaults targeting foreigners as most U.S. and international troops are preparing to withdraw by the end of the year.
A British Embassy spokesman said that there “have been some injuries” and that they were working with Afghan authorities, but declined to comment further. The vehicle was not carrying diplomats. Hashmat Stanikzai, chief spokesman for the Kabul police, said the attacker detonated a car filled with explosives near the British vehicle, killing one foreigner and four Afghans.
A British Embassy spokesman acknowledged that there “have been some injuries” but declined to elaborate. The attack unfolded around 10 a.m.
“I heard a huge blast,” said Mohammad Omar, an Afghan guard working for a construction company with an office near the scene of the bombing. “I was dazed, but a few minutes later I saw three cars destroyed and many people wounded.”
The Taliban Islamist insurgency claimed responsibility for the attack, as it has for other bombings that have rocked the capital in recent weeks. In a tweet, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the “martyrdom attack targeted foreign invaders.”
The explosion was heard miles away in other parts of Kabul, and black smoke rose from the scene, which was about a mile from the bases where foreign contractors.
It was the second time this week that foreigners were attacked in a similar fashion in the same area. On Monday, two American soldiers, including one from Maryland’s eastern shore, were killed nearby when a bomb attached to a bicycle exploded as their convoy passed.
The Pentagon on Wednesday said Command Sgt. Maj. Wardell B. Turner, 48, of Nanticoke, and Spc. Joseph W. Riley of Grove City, Ohio. Both soldiers were working with the International Security Assistance Force, the NATO-led mission to help stabilize Afghanistan.
Attacks in Kabul, and in other parts of the country, have intensified since Afghanistan’s new President Ashraf Ghani took office two months ago and signed a security pact to extend the presence of US and international forces beyond the end of the year.
The Taliban has denounced Ghani and his close ties to Washington and have launched a campaign attacking high profile targets. In recent weeks they have tried to assassinate Kabul’s police chief and a prominent women’s rights activist. They have also repeatedly assaulted compounds inhabited by foreign contractors.
The bomber was riding a motorcycle, Afghan law enforcement officials said.The bomber was riding a motorcycle, Afghan law enforcement officials said.