A suicide bombing outside an army base in the Afghan capital Kabul killed nine people and injured 28 yesterday, raising fears that insurgents are importing ruthless Iraqi-style tactics into Afghanistan.| "Oh, hold me, Prudence!" "I'm so afraid, Chauncey!" |
Iraq has suffered suicide bombings against members of its fledgling army for months, but such attacks were almost unknown in Afghanistan. Afghan officials believe al-Qaida has renewed its ties with the Taliban. Suspicions were first aroused last June after a suicide bomb in a mosque in the southern city of Kandahar killed 20 people. Since then insurgents have intensified roadside attacks on US and Afghan forces, using increasingly sophisticated remotely-triggered bombs. In an interview published this week, a Taliban commander boasted he had trained in Iraq for several months and was now bringing his expertise home. "I want to copy in Afghanistan the tactics and spirit of the glorious Iraqi resistance," Muhammad Daud told Newsweek.
Hours before yesterday's blast the Afghan intelligence agency, the NDS, told security groups that al-Qaida had formed a new group, named Fedayani Islam (Sacrifices for Islam), and sent suicide bombers into southern Afghanistan, seeking "targets of opportunity". An aid agency security group, Anso, described the information as "fairly accurate".