A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahed, quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, naming the suicide bomber as Abdul Ahad. He said that the bombing caused far higher casualties than those reported by Afghan and U.S. officials.
Afghan officials said the attack occurred as American police trainers were inside the building talking with Afghan police officials and their guards were in the yard where the bomber detonated the explosives on his body.
"Two American soldiers and a child were killed and one American and five Afghan soldiers were wounded," said Abdul Rahman Sayedkhili, the police chief of Baghlan. He said the attacker managed to infiltrate the compound during a large meeting of district chiefs.
Baghlan is generally a peaceful province, but was the scene of one of the bloodiest suicide attacks last year in which up to 72 people were killed, including five legislators and more than 50 schoolchildren.
Separately, a U.S. helicopter came under fire from Taliban insurgents in Wardak Province southwest of Kabul, and "due to the insurgents' fire made a hard landing," said Colonel Gregory Julian, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. No one was wounded, he said. He indicated that the helicopter could have been forced down.
Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman, said insurgents had opened fire and downed it while it was attempting to land troops at a compound where coalition forces were looking for militants.
Taimoor Shah contributed reporting from Kabul.
Par
By Abdul Waheed Wafa and Carlotta Gall (International Herald Tribune)
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Afghan officials said the attack occurred as American police trainers were inside the building talking with Afghan police officials and their guards were in the yard where the bomber detonated the explosives on his body.
"Two American soldiers and a child were killed and one American and five Afghan soldiers were wounded," said Abdul Rahman Sayedkhili, the police chief of Baghlan. He said the attacker managed to infiltrate the compound during a large meeting of district chiefs.
Baghlan is generally a peaceful province, but was the scene of one of the bloodiest suicide attacks last year in which up to 72 people were killed, including five legislators and more than 50 schoolchildren.
Separately, a U.S. helicopter came under fire from Taliban insurgents in Wardak Province southwest of Kabul, and "due to the insurgents' fire made a hard landing," said Colonel Gregory Julian, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. No one was wounded, he said. He indicated that the helicopter could have been forced down.
Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman, said insurgents had opened fire and downed it while it was attempting to land troops at a compound where coalition forces were looking for militants.
Taimoor Shah contributed reporting from Kabul.
Par
voir le lien du Herald Tribune
