News, July , 2007
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Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names. |
Suicide Bomber Targeting NATO Soldiers Kills at Least 17 People, Mostly Children, in Southern Afghanistan
Editorial Note:
In the past, many of the casualties were Afghani civilians despite claims they were Taliban fighters.
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Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 17 People, Mostly Children, in Southern Afghanistan
By NOOR KHAN Associated Press Writer
Jul 10, 2007, 1:33 PM EDT
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) --
A suicide bomber targeted a NATO patrol in a marketplace filled with children Tuesday, killing 13 elementary school students and at least four other people. The U.N. and NATO quickly condemned the attack for harming so many civilians.
Eight Dutch soldiers patrolling on foot - the apparent targets - and at least 35 Afghans were wounded in the bombing in southern Uruzgan province, one of the deadliest in Afghanistan this year. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
The bomber struck around 9 a.m., when children usually arrive at a nearby primary school for a second shift of classes. Schools in Afghanistan often serve three rotations of students.
"Some of the children were walking to school while other children were selling goods in the market," said Qassim Khan, the provincial police chief.
He said the bomber blew himself up outside a pharmacy as the Dutch patrol entered the market, a central shopping area for people from nearby villages. Seven shops were destroyed.
A Taliban fighter carried out the attack, said Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a spokesman for the hard-line militia.
Details about the bombing varied. The deputy district police chief, Jahih Kawi Khan, said 19 people were killed and 35 wounded, while the Interior Ministry said 17 died. Provincial health department chief Luma Khan said 51 people were wounded, mostly children. Afghan officials said the suicide bomber was on foot; NATO said it was a vehicle bombing.
The officials all agreed that 13 children died.
The attack occurred in Dihrawudat district in the southern tip of Uruzgan province, near the border with Helmand and Kandahar, among the most violent areas in the country and the heart of the opium poppy-growing region.
The bombing appeared to be the third-deadliest of the year. On June 17, a suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus carrying police instructors in Kabul, killing 35 people. In February, a bomber detonated explosives outside the main U.S. base at Bagram, killing 23 people, during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney.
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