Attack in Kandahar leaves 4 dead, 30 injured
(Updated at 7:13 p.m.) At least four people were killed and 30 others were injured in the attack, according to Zalmai Ayoubi, the Kandahar governor's spokesman.
(Posted at 1:49 p.m.) KABUL, Afghanistan - At least 10 men were injured Tuesday when attackers targeted a private security company near the Kandahar Airfield, according to Zalmai Ayoubi, the Kandahar governor's spokesman.
Ayoubi said a car bomb detonated at the gate of the security compound and then Taliban militants infiltrated. Another blast then occurred inside the camp and a firefight ensued, he added.
It is not clear whether the blast was caused by a suicide attack, but an ambulance driver said the attackers were wearing suicide vests.
Afghan and NATO-led soldiers have secured the area, Ayoubi said.
Kandahar official slams U.N. withdrawal move
KABUL, Afghanistan — The head of Kandahar's provincial council slammed the U.N. decision to pull its local staff out of the southern Afghan region and is hoping the move will be reconsidered.
Ahmad Wali Karzai told reporters Tuesday the decision wasn't "necessary" since the situation in Kandahar province and the city of the same name is "not that bad."
"Everyone knows that people are going about their business and the kids are going to school," he said. "Pulling U.N. staff out of Kandahar will have negative effect on the morale of people in Kandahar and on humanitarian work here and in the area." FULL POST
In Kandahar, some still see Taliban as lesser of evils
In Kandahar, where large-scale NATO military operations are expected this summer, some residents say the Taliban is their only option – the Afghan government and justice system are so corrupt they have nowhere else to turn to resolve complaints and get services. Even as they realize living under the thumb of the Taliban is miserable, some Kandahar residents say they would rather live under that than the misery of another military operation. And after previous experiences, they don't expect U.S. forces to stay the course.
Read some of the voices in Kandahar:
Hajji Abdul Ghaffar
Hajji Abdul Ghaffar is a 55-year-old businessman from Kandahar.
"When the Taliban are in our area, it is not easy to live under their conditions. People must know they are not helping us, instead they are disturbing us, it is not something good that we like," says Ghaffar. "They call on us to go to the mosque, and they tell us, don't travel on a certain road, because they have put IEDs there, and then claim 'We declared it to you; if you go you will be responsible for your own death.'" FULL POST
Rocket, bomb attacks kill 3
KABUL, Afghanistan — Rocket and bomb attacks in different parts of Afghanistan killed three people and damaged a government compound, authorities said Tuesday. FULL POST
ISAF service member killed
A service member with the International Security Assistance Force died Tuesday as the result of a small arms attack in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led command said in a statement.
No further details, including the service member's nationality, were released.
