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Dozens die in new Afghan bombing | Dozens die in new Afghan bombing |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A bomb blast in southern Afghanistan has killed at least 35 civilians. Many people were injured, including three Nato soldiers, officials say. | |
The blast, apparently targeting Canadian troops in a Nato convoy, took place in Spin Boldak town in Kandahar province, near the Pakistani border. | |
A bomber in Kandahar city on Sunday killed more than 100 people - the country's bloodiest attack since 2001. | A bomber in Kandahar city on Sunday killed more than 100 people - the country's bloodiest attack since 2001. |
Nato troops in Afghanistan have been battling a resurgent Taleban militia. | Nato troops in Afghanistan have been battling a resurgent Taleban militia. |
Fifteen international troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, most of them from the US. | Fifteen international troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, most of them from the US. |
Some 40,000 soldiers from Nato countries are deployed in the country, where their tasks include aiding reconstruction, tackling opium cultivation and battling the Taleban. | Some 40,000 soldiers from Nato countries are deployed in the country, where their tasks include aiding reconstruction, tackling opium cultivation and battling the Taleban. |
Taleban blamed | |
Monday's attack in Spin Boldak targeted a convoy of Canadian troops serving under Nato. | |
According to Asadullah Khalid, the governor of Kandahar province, three Canadian troops were hurt in the attack. | |
MAJOR TALEBAN ATTACKS 29 Dec 2007: 16 policemen killed in Kandahar6 Nov 2007: At least 70 die in attack on sugar factory in Baghlan province29 Sep 2007: At least 30 soldiers killed in bus attack in Kabul 16 Jan 2006: At least 24 people killed in two attacks in Kandahar Deadliest Afghan attacksIn pictures: Kandahar blast | |
"The suicide attacker detonated near a Canadian military convoy," the governor of Kandahar province, Asadullah Khalid, said. | |
He said 35 civilians were killed and 27 civilians were hurt. | |
The bomb also badly damaged a military vehicle and set fire to several shops in the area, a local police official said. | |
The nearby border had been closed, as part of a series of security measures for Pakistani elections on Monday. | |
According to the Associated Press news agency, the crossing was briefly opened to take some of those hurt in the blast to a hospital in the Pakistani town of Chaman nearby. | |
Earlier on Monday, funerals were held in Kandahar for the victims of Sunday's suicide attack. | Earlier on Monday, funerals were held in Kandahar for the victims of Sunday's suicide attack. |
Weeping relatives buried the dead, many of them in graves dug next to each other. | Weeping relatives buried the dead, many of them in graves dug next to each other. |
Sunday's bombing - believed to be the bloodiest since the overthrow of the Taleban in 2001 - hit a crowd watching a dogfight near the city. | Sunday's bombing - believed to be the bloodiest since the overthrow of the Taleban in 2001 - hit a crowd watching a dogfight near the city. |
The dead included a local police chief who also led a tribal militia opposed to the Taleban. | The dead included a local police chief who also led a tribal militia opposed to the Taleban. |
Officials blamed the Islamist Taleban guerrillas but they have denied responsibility. | Officials blamed the Islamist Taleban guerrillas but they have denied responsibility. |
Spreading influence | |
The Taleban claim to have influence across most of the country and have extended their area of control from their traditional heartland in the south. | |
They have a significant presence around Kandahar from where they carry out suicide attacks and roadside bomb blasts. | |
The militants are also known to operate freely in Wardak province, neighbouring the capital Kabul. | |
Last year, violence in Afghanistan reached its highest levels since the Taleban were forced from power in 2001, analysts say. | |
Last November, a suicide bombing in the northern Baghlan province killed 79 people - mostly school pupils - in what was until then the bloodiest bombing since the Taleban were ousted in 2001. |