Car Bomb Attack Kills 2 in Afghan Capital
By ABDUL WAHEED WAFA
November 28, 2007
KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 27 -- A huge car bomb exploded in a residential district of Kabul that is used by foreign diplomats and international organizations, killing two civilians and wounding four others, the police said. Two vehicles in a United States military convoy were damaged, but no servicemen were killed or wounded, said a military spokesman, Col. David Johnson.
It was the second bomb attack in the capital in two days. A spokesman for the Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, as did someone who said he was speaking for the renegade mujahedeen commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, news agencies reported.
The explosion occurred at 7:30 a.m. and destroyed the bomber's car, demolished the wall of a Defense Ministry building and damaged a residence used by the World Bank. The Canadian and Pakistani Embassies, the World Bank and other international organizations have offices in the area. Windows were shattered along several nearby streets.
"It was a suicide attacker in the car," said Ali Shah Paktiawal, the director of the criminal investigation department for the Kabul police. The bomber was driving a black sport utility vehicle, he said. He confirmed that two Afghans were killed and four other civilians were wounded.
"It was a very massive explosion which knocked me over," said Ahmed Jawad, 24, a construction worker. "Then I did not see anything because of the dust and smoke." Debris was strewn over a wide area; a human leg was lying some 200 yards away from the site of the explosion.