This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7019419.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 5 | Version 6 |
---|---|
Kabul bus blast kills 27 troops | Kabul bus blast kills 27 troops |
(about 5 hours later) | |
A powerful suicide 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 split in two by the blast and witnesses described seeing several dead bodies around the wreckage. | |
The Taleban claimed the attack, Kabul's second deadliest since 2001. | |
Responding to the attack, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he wished he could ask insurgent leaders why they were trying to destroy the country. | |
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. | 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. |
Windows shattered | Windows shattered |
Defence ministry spokesman Gen Zahir Azimi told the BBC that a further 21 people were injured in the bus blast. | Defence ministry spokesman Gen Zahir Azimi told the BBC that a further 21 people were injured in the bus blast. |
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. |
For 10 or 15 seconds, it was like an atom bomb Kabul police official | |
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. |
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. |
President Hamid Karzai said he wished he could contact Taleban leader Mullah Omar and warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to ask why they were trying to destroy Afghanistan. | |
He said he would meet both men personally, and even offer them cabinet posts, if it would help to bring about peace. | |
When similar offers have been made in the past, the militants have insisted talks could take place only if foreign forces left Afghanistan. | |
President Karzai once again reiterated he would not agree to any troop withdrawal. |