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Blast Targets Afghan Provincial Governor

   VOA News 07 January 2010
   Khost Governor Tahr Khan Sabari (Nov 2009 file photo)

Photo: AP

   Khost Governor Tahr Khan Sabari (Nov 2009 file photo)

   An  explosion  has  ripped  through the office of an Afghan provincial
   governor, wounding him and several other senior officials.
   Afghan  officials said Thursday that the bomb was hidden in some trash
   just  outside the office of acting Khost governor Tahr Khan Sabari and
   sprayed him with broken glass.
   Also  in  Khost  Thursday, Afghan security forces said they killed two
   would-be suicide bombers.
   Khost  borders  on  the  tribal  region  separating  Afghanistan  from
   Pakistan,  an area thought to be a stronghold for Taliban and al-Qaida
   militants.
   On  Wednesday, an explosion at a market in Khost wounded at least nine
   people.   And  just  over a week ago, a suicide bomber blew himself up
   inside a U.S. outpost, killing seven intelligence officers.
   Elsewhere   Thursday,   a   spokesman   for  international  forces  in
   Afghanistan  blamed  Taliban-led  militants  for  firing  rockets into
   central Kabul.  Afghan officials said three people were wounded.
   The  attack  comes  the  same day that several prominent United States
   lawmakers  visited  the  Afghan capital, including former presidential
   candidate, Senator John McCain of the U.S. state of Arizona.
   McCain voiced his support of the U.S. military strategy in the region,
   including the use of drones (pilotless aircraft) to target militants.
   He said the use of drones effective, saying they have knocked al-Qaida
   and other Islamic extremist groups "off-balance."
   On  Wednesday, a roadside bomb in eastern Nangarhar province bordering
   Pakistan  killed  four  Afghan children and a policeman and injured at
   least 40 others.
   A  NATO  spokesman  said nine alliance troops were among those hurt in
   the blast.  Afghan officials said some of their security officers also
   suffered injuries.
   An  Afghan  official  told  the  Associated Press the NATO troops were
   visiting  a road construction project funded by the United States when
   the bomb went off.

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

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