Two killed in Afghan bombing, doctor found dead

01/03/2007| IslamWeb

A bomb targeting a provincial police chief's vehicle in western Afghanistan killed two people and wounded 53 Thursday while authorities found the bullet-riddled body of a kidnapped doctor.

The remotely detonated bomb exploded in the centre of the town of Farah, capital of the province of the same name, at a point where labourers had gathered for day work, they said.

Two civilians were killed, the Farah hospital director, Mohammad Qasim, told AFP.

"Fifty-three injured people came to the hospital. Twelve of them are in a serious condition," he said, and were sent to a nearby NATO-led International Security Assistance Force base for surgery.

The interior ministry in Kabul said the police chief's vehicle was the target. The bomb appeared to have been hidden in a garbage skip, ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP.

Farah province has seen a surge in unrest in recent weeks blamed on Taliban insurgents or opium traders. The rebels captured the town of Bakwa for less than 24 hours last month before being forced out by NATO-led and Afghan troops.

President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday that Afghanistan's opium production is fuelling unrest gripping the country.

Meanwhile, in the volatile neighbouring province of Helmand, the bullet-riddled body of an Afghan doctor was found dumped near the remote area of Garmser which has seen much Taliban-related activity.

The doctor, who worked at a hospital in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, had been missing since Saturday, provincial security chief Isah Khan said.

He did not say who may have been responsible for the killing. The Taliban fighters have kidnapped and executed dozens of people working for the government or foreign groups, accusing some of being spies.

PHOTO CAPTION

A NATO helicopter flies over Farah, in Purchaman district in November 2006. (AFP)