Suicide Bomber Kills Afghan Official
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/world/asia/01afghan.html
February 1, 2008
Suicide Bomber Kills Afghan Official
By TAIMOOR SHAH and ABDUL WAHEED WAFA [Afghanistan] [hydra] [Pakistan became the clear staging area for operations into Afghanistan during 2007] [tactics previously unseen in Afghanistan appeared—beheadings and the like—as the insurgency ramped up] [after far too many accidential noncombatants hit in early 2007, year ended with far fewer] [now another one mucks things up] [the winter lull is upon the region?] [while NATO coalition fight jihadis, Afghanis continue draconian responses to anything that challenges traditions] [traditional redoubt of Taliban and al Qaeda before 9/11] [******]
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The deputy governor of Helmand province and five others were killed by a suicide bomber during afternoon prayers in a mosque in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, Afghan officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/world/asia/01afghan.html
February 1, 2008
Suicide Bomber Kills Afghan Official
By TAIMOOR SHAH and ABDUL WAHEED WAFA [Afghanistan] [hydra] [Pakistan became the clear staging area for operations into Afghanistan during 2007] [tactics previously unseen in Afghanistan appeared—beheadings and the like—as the insurgency ramped up] [after far too many accidential noncombatants hit in early 2007, year ended with far fewer] [now another one mucks things up] [the winter lull is upon the region?] [while NATO coalition fight jihadis, Afghanis continue draconian responses to anything that challenges traditions] [traditional redoubt of Taliban and al Qaeda before 9/11] [******]
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The deputy governor of Helmand province and five others were killed by a suicide bomber during afternoon prayers in a mosque in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, Afghan officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
The deputy, Hajji Pir Mohammad, was dead on arrival at a Lashkar Gah hospital, the duty doctor there said, and at least 21 injured people, including a five-year-old boy, were treated.
The explosion took place just after 1 p.m. in a mosque near the governor’s office, the provincial police chief, Muhammad Hussain Andiwal said. He confirmed that six people, including the deputy governor, were killed as they were praying.
“This is a very cowardly action being carried out in the home of Allah, where the people come to offers their prayers,” he said. “But fearless and ignorant people are carrying out these suicide attacks, killing innocent people inside a holy and respected place, this is totally against our religion of Islam to blow himself up in the mosque,” [*****]he said.
A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the blast, saying that the perpetrator was named Qudratuallah and came from Paktia province in the southeast. The target was the deputy governor, the spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahed, said in a telephone call.
Another explosion occurred in Kabul at 7 a.m., when a car bomb detonated as an Afghan National Army bus was passing. The army bus and officers inside were unharmed, but one civilian was killed and two others injured, said Zemaray Bashary, spokesman for the Interior Ministry said.
A taxi driver, Habib-u-Rahman, saw the explosion and said the bomb was in a red car parked beside the road. He saw at least two people injured, a passing cyclist and a taxi driver.
Taimor Shah reported from Kandahar, Afghanistan, and Abdul Waheed Wafa reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Carlotta Gall contributed reporting from Kabul.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company