AFGHANISTAN: A remote-controlled roadside bomb has wounded eight people, including an ex-mujahideen commander, in Afghanistan's volatile south, according to witnesses

The bomb, which exploded on Friday (March 9), was planted at a bridge in the Arghandab district of the Kandahar province and was believed to be aimed at Mullah Naqibullah, a commander in the Afghan mujahideen government that preceded Taliban rule in the 1990s. The bomb hit Naqibullah's vehicle, which contained members of his family and guards, as it passed the bridge. It is not known whether Naqibullah was killed, although an eyewitness said he sustained a wound on his forehead. "While Mullah Naqibullah's vehicle was passing a blast occurred, a cloud of dust and smoke billowed, I rushed to the area and when I arrived I saw Mullah Naqibullah had a wound on his forehead, four other people including his bodyguards and a friend of mine were wounded. I do not know the exact figure of the casualties, but many people are wounded," said local resident Dil Agha. Southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border, have remained strongholds of the Taliban militants and last year was the deadliest the country has seen since the Taliban were ousted from power by the U.S.-led forces in late 2001. More than 4,000 people died in fighting last year, including approximately 1,000 civilians. Fighting is predicted to be heavy in 2007 as the Taliban warn they have thousands of suicide bombers ready for action.

ITN Source | March 10, 2007

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