Car bomb blast hits Kandahar
A car bomb exploded in central Kandahar Thursday, wounding at least six people in the latest in a spate of attacks on the Taliban stronghold that has been earmarked as the focus of a forthcoming offensive by NATO and Afghan forces.
A car bomb explosion wounded at least six people in central Kandahar on Thursday, police said, the latest in a string of attacks in the volatile southern Afghan city.
The birthplace of the Taliban, Kandahar is the focus of an upcoming U.S.-led military offensive to turn the tide against a stubborn insurgency, and the militant group in the past has played up some attacks as a warning to NATO forces.
The blast, which took place in front of a hotel, destroyed several shops and charred vehicles, a Reuters witness said.
It was unclear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, said Mohammad Nabi, a policeman at the scene. He said six people were injured.
Earlier this week, a group of three suicide bombers tried to seize the main intelligence building in Kandahar in a brazen daylight raid.
In the biggest attack in the city this year, Taliban suicide bombers killed more than 30 people in a series of strikes across the city last month.
The bulk of the 30,000 additional combat troops ordered to Afghanistan by U.S. President Barack Obama last year are expected to be deployed to Kandahar as part of the summer campaign to root out the Taliban from their spiritual homeland.
Residents and security officials say the insurgent group has been waging a campaign of intimidation and attacks in an effort to forcibly drum up local support and hamper operations aimed at winning the trust of ordinary Afghans.
(Reuters)
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