A suicide bomber struck a convoy of the NATO-led security force in the capital Tuesday, killing a Canadian soldier and an Afghan civilian. The attack also wounded three Canadian troops and eight civilians, officials said. The bomber struck the three-vehicle convoy about 8:30 a.m. in western Kabul. "There was a bump in the road, and when they slowed down to pass over it, a terrorist jumped on one of the vehicles and blew himself up," said Ali Jan Askaryar, head of police in the western district of the capital.
The security force confirmed the death of a Canadian soldier, but did not release his name. "It may have been a suicide bomber that caused the explosion," a statement said. International troops and local police cordoned off the site of the attack, about 1 1/4 miles from the main Canadian base in Kabul and close to the ruins of a former royal palace. An open-backed military jeep - badly burned with its windows blown out - sat on a patch of blackened road, a white sheet lying next to it. A small Canadian flag hung from its antenna. Fazel Karim Sayedi, director of the hospital that treated most of the injured, said the 20-year-old civilian died of severe abdominal injuries. Two other patients were in serious condition. The three injured Canadians were in stable condition, said spokesman Lt. Col. Joerg Langer. Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack, blaming it on "terrorist elements intent on disrupting the peace and security of our people." Khalil Amin Zada, Kabul’s deputy police chief, said investigators were trying to identify the attacker. "It’s difficult to tell if he’s an Afghan or not," he said. |