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Western soldiers wounded as suicide bomber strikes heavily guarded site
Image: Scene of suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan
Getty Images
A car burns after a suicide bombing near the main gate of the NATO headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday.
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updated 7:58 a.m. ET Aug. 15, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomb exploded Saturday outside the main gate of NATO's headquarters five days before Afghanistan's presidential election, killing seven and wounding 91 in the biggest attack in the Afghan capital in six months.
The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives on the doorstep of the international military headquarters, an assault possibly aimed at sending the message that the Taliban can attack anywhere as Afghans gear up for their second-ever direct presidential election. Militants have warned Afghans not to vote and have threatened to attack voting sites.
The NATO headquarters where top commander U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal is based sits beside the U.S. Embassy and shares the same street as the presidential palace. The explosion was the first major attack in Kabul since February, when eight Taliban militants struck three government buildings simultaneously in the heart of the city, an assault that killed 20 people and the eight assailants. Afghanistan has braced for attacks ahead of the election. International workers in the country were planning on working from home over the next week or had been encouraged to leave the country. U.S., NATO and Afghan troops were working to protect voting sites, particularly in regions where militants hold sway.
'Not afraid'
President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and said Afghans knew the importance of Thursday's election.
"The enemies of Afghanistan, by conducting such attacks, are trying to create fear among the people as we get close to the election," Karzai said in a statement. He said Afghans "are not afraid of any threats, and they will go to cast their votes."
Bloodied and dazed Afghans wandered the street after Saturday's blast, which rattled the capital and sent a black plume of smoke skyward. Children many of whom congregate outside the NATO gate to sell gum to Westerners were among the wounded. Windows of nearby antique shops were shattered and blood smeared the ground.
The Taliban claimed responsibility and said the target was the NATO headquarters and the U.S. Embassy some 150 yards down the street. A top Kabul police official blamed al-Qaida.
Brig. Gen. E. Tremblay, the spokesman for the NATO-led force, said some soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force were wounded in the 8:35 a.m. blast. He did not say how many. The explosion occurred 30 yards from NATO's front gate, he said. Pointing to the civilian casualties, Tremblay said the Taliban were "indiscriminately killing civilians." 'Skittish' Afghans wary of Marines, Taliban
Afghan election tests Obama's war plan
Gates: Defeating Taliban will take years
Afghan security forces stopped the vehicle in front of NATO headquarters, and then the bomber detonated the explosives, Tremblay said.
"The security measures in place have stopped cold the bombers as planned," he said, calling the latest attack an example of the "residual risk" that remained despite the safety measures taken. "It's very difficult to stop a suicide bomber."
The blast killed seven Afghans and wounded 91, Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said.
'Victims everywhere'
Four Afghan soldiers and Awa Alam Nuristani, a member of parliament and President Hamid Karzai's campaign manager for women, were among the wounded, the ministry said.
"I was drinking tea in our office when a big explosion happened," said Abdul Fahim, an Afghan in his mid-20s who sustained leg injuries. "I lay on the ground and then I saw wounded victims everywhere, including police and civilians."
The chief of Kabul's criminal investigation department, Abdul Ghafar Sayadzada, said 600 pounds of explosives were used, and that because of the amount he suspected al-Qaida was involved. The attacker passed three police checkpoints, Sayadzada said.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the blast and said the bomb contained 1,100 pounds of explosives. Mujahid at first said the bomber was on foot, then later called back and said it was a suicide car bomb attack.
Barriers
The attack falls in line with increasingly spectacular and sophisticated strikes carried out by Afghanistan militants. The Taliban have carried out several coordinated attacks in the last several months with multiple teams of insurgents assaulting government sites. Military analysts have said the increased sophistication comes from training by al-Qaida operatives.
NATO headquarters has several large, cement blocks and steel gates that prevent anyone from reaching the entrance, and the bomber was not able to breach those barriers. Afghanistan's Transportation Ministry lies across the street from NATO headquarters.
Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said a suicide bomber named Ahmadullah from the Bagrami district of Kabul province carried out Saturday's attack.
A driver from the nearby Defense Ministry said he took at least 12 people to the hospital. Most were seriously wounded, said the driver, who spoke to an Associated Press reporter at the scene but didn't want to give his name because of safety concerns.
Kabul has been relatively quiet over the last half year, though militants have launched a barrage of rockets into the capital this month, most of which landed harmlessly in open spaces.
Security has increased over the last several weeks in preparation for Thursday's vote. http://mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
Image: Scene of suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan
Getty Images
A car burns after a suicide bombing near the main gate of the NATO headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday.
View related photos
Slideshow
Image: Girls riding in a van taxi are seen with campaign poster in Afghanistan
Preparing to vote in Afghanistan
Afghans head to the polls to elect a new president on Aug. 20 amid rising anger at official corruption, the slow pace of reconstruction and growing civilian deaths at the hands of foreign and Afghan troops, as well as Taliban militants.
more photos
Slideshow
Image: U.S. Marines fight the Taliban in Dahaneh, Afghanistan
On the front lines in Afghanistan
U.S. soldiers are fighting to suppress the Taliban and win over the Afghan people.
more photos
Interactive
Torn by conflict
Afghanistan's tumultuous history
World Blog: Kabul, Afghanistan
New commitment to old Afghanistan strategy
Flattery, history and religion keys to speech
Planting seeds of change in Afghan drug war
Interactive: Forgotten conflicts
Learn about some of the oft-forgotten clashes simmering across the globe.
Most popular
Most viewed Top rated Most e-mailed
Ambush! Her new look makes sons jaw drop
Shopkeeper didnt want to shoot robbers
Italian hotel mistakenly offers 1-cent weekend
7 dead, 91 hurt in Taliban attack on NATO HQ
Police: Man left ailing mom on floor for 2 days
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Drug compound kills breast cancer stem cells
Guitar legend Les Paul has died at 94
Study: Fire used to make tools 75,000 years ago
18 years later, 1st Gulf War casualty laid to rest
Cave complex may lie beneath Giza Pyramids
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Shopkeeper didnt want to shoot robbers
Italian hotel mistakenly offers 1-cent weekend
GOP backs away from end-of-life counseling
Police: Man left ailing mom on floor for 2 days
12 surprising signs youll live to 100
Most viewed on msnbc.com
updated 7:58 a.m. ET Aug. 15, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomb exploded Saturday outside the main gate of NATO's headquarters five days before Afghanistan's presidential election, killing seven and wounding 91 in the biggest attack in the Afghan capital in six months.
The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives on the doorstep of the international military headquarters, an assault possibly aimed at sending the message that the Taliban can attack anywhere as Afghans gear up for their second-ever direct presidential election. Militants have warned Afghans not to vote and have threatened to attack voting sites.
The NATO headquarters where top commander U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal is based sits beside the U.S. Embassy and shares the same street as the presidential palace. The explosion was the first major attack in Kabul since February, when eight Taliban militants struck three government buildings simultaneously in the heart of the city, an assault that killed 20 people and the eight assailants. Afghanistan has braced for attacks ahead of the election. International workers in the country were planning on working from home over the next week or had been encouraged to leave the country. U.S., NATO and Afghan troops were working to protect voting sites, particularly in regions where militants hold sway.
'Not afraid'
President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and said Afghans knew the importance of Thursday's election.
"The enemies of Afghanistan, by conducting such attacks, are trying to create fear among the people as we get close to the election," Karzai said in a statement. He said Afghans "are not afraid of any threats, and they will go to cast their votes."
Bloodied and dazed Afghans wandered the street after Saturday's blast, which rattled the capital and sent a black plume of smoke skyward. Children many of whom congregate outside the NATO gate to sell gum to Westerners were among the wounded. Windows of nearby antique shops were shattered and blood smeared the ground.
The Taliban claimed responsibility and said the target was the NATO headquarters and the U.S. Embassy some 150 yards down the street. A top Kabul police official blamed al-Qaida.
Brig. Gen. E. Tremblay, the spokesman for the NATO-led force, said some soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force were wounded in the 8:35 a.m. blast. He did not say how many. The explosion occurred 30 yards from NATO's front gate, he said. Pointing to the civilian casualties, Tremblay said the Taliban were "indiscriminately killing civilians." 'Skittish' Afghans wary of Marines, Taliban
Afghan election tests Obama's war plan
Gates: Defeating Taliban will take years
Afghan security forces stopped the vehicle in front of NATO headquarters, and then the bomber detonated the explosives, Tremblay said.
"The security measures in place have stopped cold the bombers as planned," he said, calling the latest attack an example of the "residual risk" that remained despite the safety measures taken. "It's very difficult to stop a suicide bomber."
The blast killed seven Afghans and wounded 91, Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said.
'Victims everywhere'
Four Afghan soldiers and Awa Alam Nuristani, a member of parliament and President Hamid Karzai's campaign manager for women, were among the wounded, the ministry said.
"I was drinking tea in our office when a big explosion happened," said Abdul Fahim, an Afghan in his mid-20s who sustained leg injuries. "I lay on the ground and then I saw wounded victims everywhere, including police and civilians."
The chief of Kabul's criminal investigation department, Abdul Ghafar Sayadzada, said 600 pounds of explosives were used, and that because of the amount he suspected al-Qaida was involved. The attacker passed three police checkpoints, Sayadzada said.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the blast and said the bomb contained 1,100 pounds of explosives. Mujahid at first said the bomber was on foot, then later called back and said it was a suicide car bomb attack.
Barriers
The attack falls in line with increasingly spectacular and sophisticated strikes carried out by Afghanistan militants. The Taliban have carried out several coordinated attacks in the last several months with multiple teams of insurgents assaulting government sites. Military analysts have said the increased sophistication comes from training by al-Qaida operatives.
NATO headquarters has several large, cement blocks and steel gates that prevent anyone from reaching the entrance, and the bomber was not able to breach those barriers. Afghanistan's Transportation Ministry lies across the street from NATO headquarters.
Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said a suicide bomber named Ahmadullah from the Bagrami district of Kabul province carried out Saturday's attack.
A driver from the nearby Defense Ministry said he took at least 12 people to the hospital. Most were seriously wounded, said the driver, who spoke to an Associated Press reporter at the scene but didn't want to give his name because of safety concerns.
Kabul has been relatively quiet over the last half year, though militants have launched a barrage of rockets into the capital this month, most of which landed harmlessly in open spaces.
Security has increased over the last several weeks in preparation for Thursday's vote. http://mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
