AFGHANISTAN: At least 12 people dead, dozens more wounded in Kabul suicide bomb blast /President Hamid Karzai trying to bring end to violence

A suicide bomber set off explosives in front of the Interior Ministry in Kabul on Saturday (September 30, 2006), killing at least 12 and wounding The Interior Ministry said police and civilians were among the dead and wounded. A Taliban commander, Mullah Hayat Khan, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, claimed responsibility. The Taliban have claimed numerous other attacks on government workers. Several small shops were badly damaged. "I was about to enter my shop. I heard a bang. I saw many wounded and dead bodies around me. Also I saw the body of my cousin here. I asked police to help us, then I was unconscious. I don't know what else happened and where the bodies have gone," said Ahmad Shoib, an eyewitness. Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday (September 30) commented on the suicide bomber's attack saying: "In today's terror attack in Kabul against our people, 12 innocent Muslims were martyred and several others wounded. The people of Afghanistan have suffered at the hand of terrorism and many have been killed by the enemy of Afghanistan and terrorism. We are trying to bring this violence in our country to an end as soon as possible," Karzai said. Afghanistan is experiencing the most serious violence since the hardline Taliban were ousted in 2001. While most of the violence has been in the south and east, attacks in Kabul have been increasing. Suicide attacks used to be rare in Afghanistan but since the beginning of last year there have been about 70, most on foreign and government forces. About 200 people have been killed, most of them civilians. Taliban insurgents have also been putting up fierce resistance in battles with foreign and government troops in the countryside, in particular in the south. NATO, which will soon take command of most foreign troops across the whole country, has acknowledged it underestimated the scale of Taliban opposition.

ITN Source | September 30, 2006

Tags:. .attacks. .speaking. .since. .hand. .asked