Six U.S. soldiers were killed in attacks in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul. The Pentagon has been occupying the country for nearly twelve years., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Six US service members killed in Kabul suicide blast
May 16, 2013 04:25
A suicide blast in the Afghan capital, Kabul has killed 6 NATO servicemen, all of whom were reportedly American, an alliance spokesperson has said. Eight Afghan civilians, including 2 children also perished in the explosion that struck a military convoy.
"Two International Security Assistance Force service members and four ISAF contracted civilians died," the NATO-led ISAF mission said in a statement
The explosion took place in the industrial zone of the capital at about 8 am local time (03:30 GMT). The suicide bomber attacked the convoy with a car packed with explosives, according to local officials. The blast was powerful enough to set a nearby building on fire.
14 people died and 37 were wounded, according to the Afghan Health Ministry, which adds that some of the bodies are unidentifiable.
NATO confirmed “an explosion occurred on a coalition convoy in Kabul”, according to spokesman Lt Quenton Roehricht, cited by AP.
The Hezb-e-Islami insurgent group, with links to the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the blast.
"We planned this attack for over a week, our target was American advisers," Hezb-e-Islami spokesman Haroon Zarghoun told Reuters by telephone, adding that the bomb killed 12 Americans. Officials however warn that insurgents tend to exaggerate death tolls.
The group carried out a suicide attack on a minibus in September 2012, killing 14 people. Russian and South African pilots were among casualties of the explosion, which Hezb-e-Islami claimed was in response to a film mocking the prophet Muhammad.
Hezb-e-Islami means Islamic Party and is a radical militant group sharing much of the Taliban ideology.
The last major suicide bombing took place in the capital in March, when a man blew himself up next to the Defense Ministry, leaving nine Afghans dead. It happened during the state visit by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
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