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Kabul bus blast kills 27 troops | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A powerful bomb attack on a bus in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has killed at least 27 members of the country's armed forces, officials say. | |
The bus was destroyed by the blast and witnesses described seeing several dead bodies around the wreckage. | The bus was destroyed by the blast and witnesses described seeing several dead bodies around the wreckage. |
Officials said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, and that the blast split the bus in two. | Officials said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber, and that the blast split the bus in two. |
A further 21 people were injured in the bus blast, defence ministry spokesman Gen Zahir Azimi told the BBC. | A further 21 people were injured in the bus blast, defence ministry spokesman Gen Zahir Azimi told the BBC. |
He said a man dressed in army uniform detonated an explosive device as he climbed on to the bus. | He said a man dressed in army uniform detonated an explosive device as he climbed on to the bus. |
More than 3,000 people have been killed this year as Afghan and foreign forces battle Taleban fighters. | More than 3,000 people have been killed this year as Afghan and foreign forces battle Taleban fighters. |
Windows shattered | Windows shattered |
The BBC's Alastair Leithead, in Kabul, says the sound of emergency sirens has been ringing across Kabul since early in the morning after the blast. | The BBC's Alastair Leithead, in Kabul, says the sound of emergency sirens has been ringing across Kabul since early in the morning after the blast. |
The head of the Kabul police, Gen Alishah Paktiawal, said the bomb went off at 0630 (0200 GMT) on board a bus packed with army staff. | The head of the Kabul police, Gen Alishah Paktiawal, said the bomb went off at 0630 (0200 GMT) on board a bus packed with army staff. |
"For 10 or 15 seconds, it was like an atom bomb - fire, smoke and dust everywhere," a police officer who witnessed the explosion told the Associated Press. | "For 10 or 15 seconds, it was like an atom bomb - fire, smoke and dust everywhere," a police officer who witnessed the explosion told the Associated Press. |
The bus was ripped apart in the blast, and windows in nearby houses were shattered. | The bus was ripped apart in the blast, and windows in nearby houses were shattered. |
Taleban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the second most deadly in Kabul since the fall of the Taleban in 2001. | |
In June, a police bus was targeted in Kabul, killing 35 officers in the worst attack in the city since the fall of the Taleban. |