Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

10 Afghanis Killed in Attacks

July 18, 2010

Editor's Note:

The following news stories represent only carefully-controlled and selected stories, representing the NATO side of the conflict. The Taliban website is still off line.
 

Roadside Bomb Kills at Least 6 Policemen in Southern Afghanistan

July 19, 2010

| Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan --

 A roadside bombing has killed six Afghan policemen in the country's south.

Chief of Khakrez district in Kandahar province Abdul Qayum Khan said four others were injured in Monday's blast.

He said the policemen were on their way to Kandahar city when the bombing occurred.

The Taliban are increasing attacks as Afghan and international forces ramp up security in the insurgents' stronghold.

Suicide bomber kills 3 as Kabul prepares to host diplomats

Washington Post, By Joshua Partlow and Javed Hamdard

Monday, July 19, 2010

KABUL --

 A suicide bomber struck in downtown Kabul on Sunday, killing three Afghans and raising fears of further attacks in the capital as senior diplomats from dozens of nations are scheduled to arrive for an international conference on Tuesday.

The security in Kabul is expected to be extraordinarily tight for the conference, which will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other dignitaries from about 60 countries. Although there have been many deadly attacks in Kabul during the war, they have grown rare in recent months.

The bomber detonated his explosives near a market in the Microyan 4 neighborhood, a middle-class, residential area of Soviet-built housing.

As violence has intensified this year in Afghanistan, insurgents (Taliban fighters are referred to as insurgents in pro-War media) have increasingly inflicted more harm on civilians. On Sunday, NATO officials said they intercepted guidance from Taliban leader Mohammad Omar calling on his fighters to kill women and other civilians who cooperate with NATO forces. This directive from the secretive, one-eyed leader is a departure from his earlier messages, which called for protecting Afghan civilians so as not to alienate the population.

Hamdard is a special correspondent.

Suicide bomber hits Kabul ahead of key conference

by Waheedullah Massoud –

Sunday, July 18, 2010, 5:14 am ET

KABUL (AFP) –

A suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated explosives in central Kabul Sunday, injuring six people, two days before a key international conference in the capital, a government official told AFP.

The bomb blast shook residential buildings in the capital, a witness said. An AFP photographer on the scene said the road was littered with body parts and a number of parked vehicles were badly damaged.

"It was a suicide attacker on a bicycle, he was trying to get to a specific area but because of high security the bomber was forced to detonate on a street where there is little activity," said Zemarai Bashary, spokesman for the interior ministry.

A reporter with Tolo television quoted witnesses saying the attacker had attempted to target a convoy of international forces, but this could not be immediately confirmed.

One witness described hearing the blast and immediately being shrouded in dust and smoke.

"It was heavy, it shattered the windows of buildings on both sides of the road," said Jawid Wardak. "I saw four or five people wounded. They were taken to hospital in civilian vehicles."

NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Saturday its troops, working with Afghan counterparts, had captured a Taliban activist implicated "in coordinating an attack" on the conference.

Two other "facilitators" were captured earlier in the week, it said.

NATO and the United States have almost 150,000 troops in Afghanistan, battling an Afghan insurgency now almost nine years old and intensifying as the foreign forces take the fight to the increasingly bold insurgents.

In London, the Independent on Sunday newspaper said delegates to this week's conference would agree to hand over control of security in the country to Afghan forces by 2014.

Citing a leaked communique, it reported a phased transition beginning this year, along with pledges that foreign powers would continue to train, equip and finance Afghan security forces after that date.

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