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Afghan bridge bomb kills 15 Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
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Jan 31, 10:28 AM EST
Afghan Bridge Bomb Kills Up to 15 on Bus
By NOOR KHAN
Associated Press Writer
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- A powerful bomb destroyed a bridge outside the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Friday, killing as many as 15 people traveling on a bus, police said.
The only survivors of the carnage on the Rambasi Bridge, about six miles south of Kandahar, were a 12-year-old boy and the driver, said deputy police chief Ustad Nazir Jan.
No one has taken responsibility for the attack, but Jan blamed Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives.
"One hundred percent we are sure it was Taliban and al-Qaida," Jan said. "We will get the proof."
Jan said he believed Afghan soldiers from a nearby army post were the target of the bombing. Troops from the unit are loyal to Kandahar Gov. Gul Agha Sherzai and patrol the area.
"We believe they were the target, but we are investigating," he said.
Nomads living in a nearby camp witnessed the explosion, which left body parts strewn around the twisted and mangled hulk of the bus.
"I was with my two children and we heard this loud noise. I ran away from it but then we heard people screaming, we went to help," said Toori Ali.
"It is the worst thing I have ever seen. There were body parts and only a small child and the driver lived," he said, still shaking from the sight of the carnage.
The two survivors were driver Ahmad Zia, 26, and the 12-year-old boy, whose father and uncle died at the scene.
The two were taken to a hospital in the town of Mir Wais, where Zia, in an interview with The Associated Press, described how the blast tore through the bus as he crossed the bridge about 9:30 a.m. after leaving the village of Mala Dost.
"When the explosion occurred, I heard cries. Then I lost consciousness," he said. "When I woke up, I saw myself on the hospital bed."
Zia said he thought 15 passengers died in the explosion, although officials earlier said it could be up to 18. The driver said he didn't know who placed the land mine or whether his bus was the intended target.
Zia suffered cuts and burns to the face. The injured boy was listed as being out of danger.
While the police said they were convinced the culprits were the Taliban and al-Qaida. Jan, the deputy police chief, said guerrillas loyal to renegade rebel commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar may also have been involved.
Afghan and U.S. authorities believe that Hekmatyar's men are aligned with Taliban and al-Qaida remnants.
Several Afghan soldiers were killed in a similar explosion about two months ago in Kandahar. A bomb went off as their jeep crossed a busy road.
On Sept. 5, 2002, an assassination attempt was made on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kandahar. The authorities also blamed Taliban and al-Qaida. The would-be assassin was killed by U.S. Special Forces guarding Karzai. Two bystanders also were killed.
Kandahar was the former spiritual base of the Taliban, who were ousted by the U.S.-led coalition's assault on Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
The U.S. military is stationed at the airport in southern Kandahar, from where they track down al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives.
Early this week, U.S.-led coalition forces waged a fierce battle against about 80 rebels in the mountains of southeastern Afghanistan. It was the biggest battle in nearly a year.
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