Terror in Afghanistan: Twenty-one with Foreigners Killed in Blasts
By Husnia Natoor - Pakistan Times Foreign Correspondent

KABUL (Afghanistan): Swelling a wave of panic, all-around, at least 21 people were killed in diverse episodes in Afghanistan, with a powerful explosion, which jolted the Afghan capital atop Sunday.

Officials say that the blast tore through the office of an American defense purveyor, killing at least five people with serious injuries to several others.

The victims were believed to include Westerners. Hours earlier, a detonation at a southeastern Afghanistan, school killed nine youngsters and one adult, the U.S. military said.

The child victims were said to be between the ages of 7 and 15, said Paktia Government’s spokesman, Asadullah Wafa, adding that 15 other people were injured.

Wafa said that the explosion at a Paktia province school was caused by a bomb planted by "puppets listening to their bosses outside the country."

Cause Unclear

The U.S. military said the cause of the explosion was unclear.

The Mullah Khel school near Zormat, 80 miles south of Kabul, was an Islamic school that also taught the more modern syllabus set by the Afghan Education Ministry.

It received funding from an international aid group, Wafa said, something that could conceivably have made it a target for Taliban-led militants.

Patrolling in Kabul

NATO forces patrolling the capital, Kabul, have warned that anti-government militants, including the ousted Taliban, could try to mount spectacular attacks in a bid to disrupt upcoming elections.

Sunday's blast hit the office of Dyncorp Inc., an American firm that provides security for Afghan President Hamid Karzai on behalf of the United States and works for the U.S. government in Iraq, said Nick Downie of the Afghanistan NGO Security Office.

Downie said he and others at the scene pulled several seriously injured people including apparent Westerners, from the building.

"We're looking at a similar number who died, a mixture of Afghans and internationals," said Downie, a former British soldier who advises relief groups on security. "Some were obviously Dyncorp staff."

He said the exact nationalities of the victims were unclear. And a US Embassy spokeswoman said she had no information on casualties.

In-depth

The blast occurred in the Shar-e Naw district of central Kabul, an area thick with the offices of international organizations and guesthouses used by their staff.

The building was burning fiercely after the explosion, which blew out windows of surrounding houses.

Reporters saw the badly mutilated body of one man lying in the street before Afghan police and foreign security guards pushed them back at gunpoint.

Residents said a boy living in a neighboring house and a cobbler in a nearby stall were killed, and as many as eight other people were wounded.

Big Explosion

"It was a very, very big explosion, and there were a lot of injured," said Ahmad Emal, a young shopkeeper watching from behind the police cordon. "These foreigners should leave the residential areas."

The charred wreckage of a car also was visible in front of the house. Afghans crowded around what appeared to be the engine block lying several hundred yards away, suggesting the explosion might have been caused by a car bomb.

The Crater

"There was a crater right in front of the office door," Downie said. "There's not much doubt about the target."

Security officials have issued several warnings in recent weeks about possible car bombings and suicide attacks in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

It was not immediately clear how many Americans were among the dead.

Area Sealed Off

Police rushed to seal off the area as fire and smoke billowed up and sirens wailed, witnesses said. Security officials from the American embassy also arrived at the scene of the blast.

Isaf peacekeepers issued a "bunker drill" after the blast, which came just before 18:00 local time (13:30 GMT).

There have been growing fears of an attempt by militants opposed to the Afghan government to start bomb attacks in Kabul ahead of the elections in October.

Taliban Commander Killed

And a story, circulated late on Saturday said that the US and Afghan troops killed a Taliban commander and captured 22 suspected militants during gunbattles and search operations in southern Afghanistan.

Mullah Rozi Khan, a Taliban commander in Zabul province, was killed after troops surrounded a group in Ghazoi village on Friday evening, said Asadullah Khan, the governor of Ghazni province.

"The soldiers demanded that they surrender, but instead they started shooting," Asadullah Khan told The Associated Press. "Mullah Rozi Khan and another Taliban have been killed and several arrested." US military spokesman Major Scott Nelson said earlier on Saturday that military sweeps began on Friday in Zabul and Ghazni provinces.

Pakistan Condemns Terrorism in Afghanistan

The federal bureau of Pakistan's first independent E-newspaper, 'Pakistan Times' adds: Pakistan has strongly condemned the act of terrorism in Afghanistan and conveyed the deepest sympathies to the government of Afghanistan.

Foreign Office spokesman, commenting on the Sunday's blast said government and the people of Pakistan strongly condemned this act of terrorism and conveyed their deepest sympathies and condolences to the government of Afghanistan and relatives of those killed in the blast.

The Spokesman also expressed the hope that the terrorism would be eliminated from Afghanistan so that it could move swiftly towards peace and stability.●