British soldier killed, others injured in car bomb in Kabul

KABUL: A British soldier was killed and several people, including three British soldiers, were injured in a car bomb explosion in Kabul Wednesday, in the second bombing in the capital in two days.

“One British soldier died and several others were injured,” ISAF spokesman Lt Commander Frank Cockburn said, adding there were no reports as yet of civilian casualties. A spokesman for the British troops said he was unable to confirm how many people had been injured and how severe their injuries were. Kabul deputy police chief Mutalluh Rahmani said the explosion was caused by a car bomb. Taliban sources have claimed responsibility for the attack and warned that more are to come.

A spokesman for the ousted Taliban regime, who calls himself Abdul Samad, said suicide bombers carried out the explosion. He said the latest blast was a car bomb involving some 40 kg of explosives.

“We claim responsibility for today’s attack in Pul-e-Charkhi involving British soldiers. The attacks are organised by Taliban and Mujahideen against the coalition and foreign troops,” he said.

Two other Taliban spokesmen told Pakistan’s The News daily that Tuesday’s suicide bomber was a Taliban follower from a Pashtun tribe and had memorised the Koran by heart. The attacks come one month after the Taliban warned that dozens of suicide bombers, rarely seen in Afghanistan in the past, had infiltrated the city intending to attack foreign targets.

Wednesday’s explosion occurred on the main Jalalabad Road half way between the British and German ISAF camps. Initial reports that there were two explosions have so far not been confirmed. The blast occurred at about 11:00am just as a memorial service for the soldier killed Tuesday Corporal Jamie Murphy was getting underway at the Canadian base Camp Julien.

“Initial reports indicate one of our British comrades lost his life and there were several injuries,” ISAF Deputy Commander Maj Gen Andrew Leslie told the Canadian troops gathered for the memorial. One man who was working nearby when the explosion occurred and rushed to the scene said two Afghans were also injured in the blast. The British convoy of two jeeps had just left their compound when a car drove up to them and exploded, a senior western military official. The remains of the vehicles at the scene appeared to be badly damaged. —AFP

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