Bomb attack targets NATO military convoy in Afghanistan
A bomb attack on Wednesday targeted a military convoy of NATO-led Coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan's Ghazni province with casualties, a local official said.
"I do confirm there was a blast on a foreign troop's military convoy at around 10:30 a.m. local time Wednesday in Rauza area of the provincial capital Ghazni city," spokesman for the local government Hazrat Mohammad Ghaznawi told Xinhua.
There are casualties, Ghaznawi said, adding at least three foreign troops may have been killed in the incident.
Meantime, a spokesman with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed the incident.
"We are aware of an incident in Ghazni province today," the spokesman with the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) told Xinhua via cell phone, adding the ISAF was gathering information about the incident and more details will be released to media as become available.
However, a witness near the blast site told Xinhua that the explosion was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that went off near an armored vehicle of NATO-led ISAF forces convoy which was on a routine patrol in the area.
Another witness in the area also said that at least three foreign troops were killed in the blast and another injured in the attack in the province with Ghazni city as its capital, 125 km south of Kabul.
Troops mainly from Poland and the U.S., within the 130,000- strong ISAF forces, are stationed in Ghazni province.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.
The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group announced to launch a rebel offensive from May 1 against Afghan and NATO-led troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Special Report: Afghanistan Situation
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-12-21 17:47:55
GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)
