Posted on 08/29/2004 9:26:29 AM PDT by TexKat
KABUL, Afghanistan - An explosion tore through the office of an American defense contractor in the heart of the Afghan capital Sunday, killing as many as six people and seriously injuring several more, officials and residents said. The victims included several apparent U.S. citizens.
The blast hit the office of Dyncorp Inc., an American firm that provides security for Afghan President Hamid Karzai on behalf of the United States and works for the U.S. government in Iraq, said Nick Downie of the Afghanistan NGO Security Office.
Downie said he and others at the scene pulled several seriously injured people — including apparent U.S. citizens — from the building.
"We're looking at a similar number who died, a mixture of Afghans and internationals," said Downie, a former British soldier who advises relief groups on security. "Some were obviously Dyncorp staff."
He said the exact nationalities of the victims were unclear.
Dyncorp Inc. is a division of Computer Science Services, Inc., based in El Segundo, Calif.
A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said she had no information on casualties.
The blast occurred in the Shar-e Naw district of central Kabul, an area thick with the offices of international organizations and guesthouses used by their staff.
The building was burning fiercely after the explosion, which blew out windows of surrounding houses.
Reporters saw the badly mutilated body of one man lying in the street before Afghan police and foreign security guards pushed them back at gunpoint.
Residents said a boy living in a neighboring house and a cobbler in a nearby stall were killed, and as many as eight others were wounded.
"It was a very, very big explosion, and there were a lot of injured," said Ahmad Emal, a young shopkeeper watching from behind the police cordon. "These foreigners should leave the residential areas."
The charred wreckage of a car was also visible in front of the house. Afghans crowded around what appeared to be the engine block lying several hundred yards away, suggesting the explosion might have been caused by a car bomb.
"There was a crater right in front of the office door," Downie said. "There's not much doubt about the target."
Security officials have issued several warnings in recent weeks about possible car bombings and suicide attacks in the Afghan capital.
NATO forces patrolling the capital have warned that anti-government militants, including the ousted Taliban, could try to mount spectacular attacks in a bid to disrupt upcoming elections.
Officials from the international force could not immediately be reached for comment.
Afghan police officers stand guard as a firefighter fights a fire after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2004. A heavy explosion badly damaged a house in downtown Kabul Sunday, killing at least one person and leaving the building in flames. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
I hate those bombers and those who aid and promote them...May God comfort the mourning and heal those injured.
Damaged cars and fire are seen at the site of a blast in Kabul, August 29, 2004. Several people were killed on Sunday by a powerful blast in an up scale district in the Afghan capital where dozens of aid agencies are based, witness said. The blast was caused by explosive devices in a truck. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood
Amen MEG33.
Need to get alternate and layered security on Karzai fast.
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