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Explosion Kills At Least 10 in Southern Afghanistan

   VOA News 31 March 2010

   Afghan  authorities  say  at  least  10  people  have been killed in a
   bombing in southern Afghanistan.
   Officials  say  the attack took place Wednesday in Babaji near Lashkar
   Gah,  the capital of Helmand province.  NATO said in a statement that
   at least 35 people were wounded the blast.
   Afghan  officials  say the bomb exploded as people gathered to receive
   free  seeds,  as  part of a program aimed at discouraging farmers from
   growing opium poppy.
   A  provincial  government spokesman had earlier said the explosion was
   caused  by  a  suicide bomber, but the Interior Ministry said the bomb
   was attached to a bicycle.
   U.S.-led  NATO  troops  and  Afghan  forces have been clearing Taliban
   insurgents  in  Helmand's Marjah region since February and are getting
   ready  to  begin  an  offensive  in neighboring Kandahar in the coming
   months.
   On  Wednesday,  U.S.  Joint  Chiefs  of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen told
   reporters in Kabul that taking control of Kandahar is key to reversing
   the momentum of the Taliban.
   Pentagon  press  secretary  Geoff Morrell said Tuesday that efforts to
   take control of the southern Afghan city are underway.
   Morrell  says U.S. special operations forces are securing roads in and
   out  of  the  city,  and  are  engaging  with  tribal elements who are
   facilitating meetings with tribal leaders (shuras). Â
   Morrell  declined  to  say  when  the  offensive  will begin, but U.S.
   officials  in  Afghanistan  say  the  campaign is expected to begin in
   June.
   Separately,  Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with representatives of
   the  militant  group  Hizb-i-Islami  on  Tuesday.   A  member  of the
   Hizb-i-Islami  delegation  said  the  two  sides wrapped up a round of
   peace  talks  with  no  breakthrough  but  a  commitment  to  continue
   dialogue.
   The  group  has  presented  Mr. Karzai with a 15-point peace plan that
   includes   a   demand  that  foreign  troops  begin  withdrawing  from
   Afghanistan in July.

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

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