KABUL: A suicide bomber detonated explosives near the heavily barricaded NATO headquarters in Kabul on Saturday, killing six civilians, NATO and local officials said.
The bomber, who was riding an explosives-laden motorcycle, blew himself up near the entrance of Camp Eggers, a NATO spokeswoman said, referring to a sprawling base that is home to 2,500 coalition personnel who train Afghan security forces.
The blast was the latest example of how militants are able to strike the heart of the Afghan capital even after more than a decade of fighting Western forces with far superior firepower. It also raises questions about Afghan forces' ability to combat insurgents once most foreign troops leave by the end of 2014.
Pieces of flesh and splattered blood lay on the street near the base, where small bodies were seen being lifted into ambulances, witnesses said.
Young children were among the dead, said Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.
The Taliban took responsibility for the attack, saying they had despatched a bomber to target the Kabul offices of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
"One of our mujahideen targeted an important intelligence office used for recruiting Americans and Afghans for spying," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters.
Sediqqi speculated on his Twitter feed that Saturday's attack, just before noon, may have been carried out by the Haqqanis, the most experienced insurgents in Afghanistan.
On Friday the United States said it is designating the Haqqani network -- blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on Western and Afghan targets in Kabul -- a terrorist organisation.
Senior Haqqani commanders told Reuters from an undisclosed location that the move showed the United States was not sincere about peace efforts in Afghanistan and warned of more attacks on American forces in Afghanistan.
The bombing on Saturday happened as celebrations were underway in Kabul to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the death of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the hero of the 1980s war against Soviet occupiers, and later of opposition to the Taliban.
Massoud was killed on Sep 9 by al Qaeda militants posing as reporters.
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@naeem khan Manhattan,Ks: No doubt the Afghanistan is full of natural resources and minerals which remained unexploited up till now. It is more then 10 years when the NATO forces landed in Afghanistan so far it has failed to recover single diamond from there.On the other hand it is spending hard earned money of its Tax payers @ $ 2 Billion per week, the lose of life NATO forces are increasing day by day. In my opinion the NATO will leave the Afghanistan as it had done in Iraq where the normalcy has not been restored so far and in fight for the power is still going on.
@Aurangzeb Chowdhry: Dream on buddy, Americans are not leaving and this war of attrition will go on for years to come. Afghanistan is cursed with the rich minerals and strategic location and the super power see the wealth coming their way for decades, anybody could see the situation in middle east and specially with Iraq and Saudi Arabia, oil and oil, does that rings the bell?
@amjad khattak: To some extend I agree with your opinion, but it is fact some innocents civilians and soldiers have also died as a result of so called friendly fire by the NATO forces. This may be revenge attack by the kith and kin of the people who had lost their lives as a result of accidental firing by NATO forces on the Afghan i people.
Now the solution to these massive attacks is that a local Jirga(meeting of tribes chiefs) may be called to seek an end to these attacks so that the NATO forces leave the Afghanistan as per their schedule.
why they always keep killing the civilians? i think all sides have made the war a business and they are milking it with the cost of civilian blood.