An explosion outside a U.S.-based security firm that has been providing security for President Hamid Karzai tore through the building in downtown Kabul, killing at least seven people, the president's office said. "Two Americans, three Nepalese and two Afghan nationals, including a child, have been confirmed dead," Karzai's office said in a statement, according to The Associated Press. The blast occurred at 5:35 p.m. and appeared to have targeted the offices of DynCorp. It may have been caused by a remote-controlled bomb in a vehicle. Windows in nearby buildings were blown out by the force of the blast. DynCorp has a police-training facility in the Shar-e-Naw district of Kabul, where the explosion occurred. "It's quite clear in my mind that they were targeted," said Nick Downie of the Afghanistan NGO Security Office, which advises aid workers on security. The Arabic-language television channel Al-Jazeera reported that Taliban officials claimed responsibility for the attack.
| "Yeah! We dunnit! Heroic of us, wasn't it? Wanna touch my turban?" |
"We received two phone calls from two Taliban spokespersons -- Mulla Janan and Mulla Hakim -- who claimed the movement's responsibility for the blast and regretted the injuries inflicted on some Afghan people who were accidentally passing by the area," said Al-Jazeera's Kabul correspondent, Mazin Aman Allah.
| "Yeah. We din't mean to hurt nobody but infidels. Sorry for the corpses..." |
Local radio said a Pakistan-based militant group claimed responsibility for the blast, calling it an attempt to undermine the nation's first post-Taliban presidential election, scheduled to take place October 9.
| I'd describe the Taliban as a "Pakistan-based militant group"... |
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