Blast, Yards from US Embassy, Kills 13 in Kabul, Including 2 U.S. GIs

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/world/asia/09afghancnd.html?ei=5094&en=f014ce2394dc1f45&hp=&ex=1157774400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print


Blast Kills 13 in Kabul, Including 2 U.S. Soldiers
By CARLOTTA GALL

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 8 — A suicide bomber smashed a car into an American military vehicle just yards from the United States embassy in downtown Kabul this morning, killing at least two American soldiers and 11 civilians, Afghan and American officials said.

At least 29 people were wounded, including two American soldiers.

It was one of the most powerful explosions seen in Kabul, and it comes amid a sharp escalation of violence in Afghanistan. Afghanistan on Saturday will mark the fifth anniversary of the death of the legendary mujahedeen commander Ahmed Shah Masood, who was killed by two Al Qaeda suicide bombers in an assassination that has been linked to the Sept. 11th attacks.

In the bombing today, the soldiers’ armored Humvee was so badly damaged that it was hard to believe anyone had survived the blast. The American military said two soldiers had died and two were wounded, but Afghan police at the scene said five American soldiers were killed. Gen. Ali Shah Paktiawal, head of Kabul’s police criminal department, said that 11 civilians were killed.

Eyewitnesses said they saw three American soldiers lying in the road after the blast. A car seat and pieces of uniforms were hanging in nearby trees.

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1. kick

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2. Guardian: NATO calls for 2,000 more troops in Afghanistan

to combat increased Taliban activity and violence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,1867650,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1


Nato today called on its member nations to provide at least 2,000 more troops to bolster its force in Afghanistan amid a resurgence of Taliban violence.

Hostilities continued in the country today, where a suicide car bomb hit a US patrol in central Kabul, killing 16 people, including civilian bystanders and two US soldiers.

Colonel Brett Boudreau, speaking at a meeting of Nato's defence chiefs in Warsaw, said "2,000 plus" troops were needed to combat the deadliest spate of violence since the Taliban regime was ousted in 2001.

His announcement came as conflicting reports emerged about the death toll from the Kabul suicide bombing, which was close to the US embassy and the worst bombing of its kind in the Afghan capital for months.The US military confirmed two US troops were among the fatalities.

Witnesses described a huge explosion which tore an American Humvee vehicle in two and set it alight, and scattered debris and body parts over an area of around 50 metres. The bodies of the two soldiers were seen lying metres from the vehicle after the explosion.