US Soldier, British Soldier, 10 Afghani Civilian, and Many Taliban Fighters Killed, an October 6, 2007 Report

AP Headline: Suicide Bomber Hits US Convoy in Afghan Capital; at Least 1 US Soldier, 4 Civilians Killed

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press Reporter

Oct 6, 2007, 6:12 AM EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) --

A suicide car bomber attacked an American military convoy on the road to Kabul's airport on Saturday, killing a U.S. soldier and four Afghani civilians, officials said.

The bombing - on the sixth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan - threw several vehicles on their side. Four Afghanis were killed and 12 others wounded, the Health Ministry said.

The attack was against U.S. troops responsible for training the Afghan military and police. Lt. Col. David Johnson, a U.S. spokesman, said one American soldier died in the blast and one was wounded.

Dozens of shops were damaged.

"There was an enormous explosion, the windows of my shop shattered," said tailor Mohammad Is'haq. "When I came out I saw the foreigners' vehicles on fire. I saw two injured Afghans and I ran to help them."

The suicide bombing was the third major attack in Kabul in a week. On Sept. 29, a bomber targeted an Afghan army bus, killing 30 people. A similar attack Tuesday against a police bus killed 13.

Saturday's attack occurred on a tree-lined, four-lane road that leads from the U.S. Embassy to the airport - a route frequently traveled by foreign convoys.

U.S. military Humvees arrived at the scene shortly after the bombing to secure the site and take away U.S. casualties. British troops arrived soon after that.

On Friday, meanwhile, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops clashed with (Taliban fighters) during a raid in eastern Afghanistan, and civilians as well as (Taliban fighters) were killed. In the country's volatile south, separate explosions apparently targeting NATO forces killed two children and a British soldier.

The joint force came under attack during a raid on compounds suspected of housing (Taliban fighters) in Waza Khwa district, in Paktika province. In the ensuing battle, several Taliban fighters, but also civilians - including a woman and a child - were killed, a coalition statement said.

It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were killed.

In the south, a suicide bomber approaching NATO and Afghan forces blew himself up prematurely in Helmand province's Sangin district on Friday, killing two children, said district police chief Wali Mohammad.

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