KABUL, Aug 15 (AFP) - A suicide car bomb exploded outside the NATO military headquarters in Kabul today, killing seven Afghans in a brazen attack that raised alarm just days before landmark presidential elections.
The Taliban militia behind a soaring insurgency said it had carried out the unprecedented bombing near the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and close to an entrance to the US embassy.
The huge explosion, just metres (yards) from the ISAF gate in one of the most secure areas of the country, reinforced fears of violence around the August 20 presidential and provincial council elections.
President Hamid Karzai, in a statement condemning the blast, said it was intended to create fear ahead of the election but insisted that Afghans “will not be scared of such threats and will go to the voting booths”.
It was the first such bombing at the base, which groups soldiers from several countries and is the headquarters of the US commander of 100,000 international troops deployed to Afghanistan to fight extremism. |
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