A suicide car bomb attack near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul has killed at
least 4 people and wounded 18 others. The mid-morning blast appeared to
target a convoy of foreign troops at a busy traffic circle. The U.S. Embassy was hosting a foot-race for the Thanksgiving holiday, and some foreigners were arriving at the time of the explosion. VOA's Barry
Newhouse reports from the Afghan capital.
Witnesses at Kabul's
landmark Massoud traffic circle said the bomber was driving erratically
as he neared a convoy of foreign troops.
This man says he was
standing near the road, when the bomber almost hit him. He says the
driver then hit three other cars and exploded.
The Massoud
traffic circle is a busy intersection in an upscale area of Kabul that
contains foreign missions, international organizations and news
agencies.
The U.S. Embassy is located about 200 meters away,
behind two heavily fortified checkpoints. The embassy was hosting a
Thanksgiving Holiday foot-race and some foreigners were arriving at the
time of the explosion.
Interior Ministry spokesman Zamary
Bashary says officials believe the attacker was targeting the convoy of
international troops.
"Prior to reaching the convoy, the
bomber who was sitting in a small vehicle, detonated the bombs that
were in the car and as a result of that unfortunately, a number of
civilians were killed and a number were injured," said Bashary.
One bystander said most of the victims were city sanitation workers.
President
Hamid Karzai condemned the blast, saying Afghans are fed up with such
attacks after 30 years of invasions and terrorism.
Foreigners
in Kabul have been targeted in a string of recent kidnappings and
shootings. The city's last suicide attack occurred nearly a month ago
at the Afghan Culture Ministry, when three militants stormed the
building, killing five people.
