Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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January 17, 2009

Bomb Kills 5 in Kabul
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=21ACC3D:A6F02AD83191E1607491BDE6658ABA680531BB26A5003E7B&
 
Officials in Afghanistan say suicide car bomb attack killed four Afghan
civilians, one US soldier 
Afghan security men run following blast in Kabul, 17 Jan 2009Officials
in Afghanistan say a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul has killed four
Afghan civilians and a U.S. soldier. At least 19 Afghan civilians and
six U.S. soldiers were wounded in the explosion, which went off Saturday
on a heavily guarded road near a U.S. military base and the German
Embassy.`German Foreign Ministry officials said the blast also wounded
embassy staff members. Both the German building and the American base
sustained damage. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack,
saying the bomber was targeting vehicles believed to be carrying German
officers. Later in the day, another suicide car bombing killed a
civilian in eastern Afghanistan. Officials say the bomber charged a
convoy of U.S.-led forces and Afghan police in the Chaparhar district of
Nangarhar province. Three civilians and three police were wounded. Last
year, the Afghan capital suffered a string of attacks, including a
suicide bombing near the U.S. Embassy in November that killed four
Afghan civilians. In December, a suicide bomber targeted a German
Embassy vehicle in Kabul, killing three Afghan civilians. On Friday, the
U.S. Defense Department announced the first significant assignment of
additional support forces to Afghanistan, which is fighting an
insurgency led by Taliban militants. The United States has about 30,000
troops in Afghanistan, and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is expected
to authorize plans to send up to 30,000 more.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. 


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