Up and Coming: Five killed in twin Afghan blasts

Monday, May 30, 2011

Five killed in twin Afghan blasts

Afghan hospital workers carry a wounded man at the site of an attack in Herat, 30 May 2011

Several people were wounded in the assault

At least four people were killed after twin bomb blasts in the western Afghan city of Herat, including one at the base of a Nato-led reconstruction team.

The fatalities occurred after a roadside bomb struck in the city centre, wounding 31 others.

In the second assault, a suicide bomber attacked the Italian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) base on the outskirts of the city.

The Taliban recently declared a "spring offensive" of attacks in Afghanistan.

"There was a suicide attack at the gate of Herat PRT and a second in the city centre," Farooq Kohistani, Herat's criminal investigation chief, told AFP.

Witnesses at the scene of the PRT base said gunshots could still be heard.

At least two suicide bombers were said to have attacked the compound, while a number of attackers tried to get inside.

''The first attack was a powerful bomb blast. It happened at a busy place at a busy time. The windows of nearby buildings were broken. I was nearby when the explosion took place," an Afghan intelligence official in Herat told the BBC.

Television pictures from Herat showed at least two vehicles destroyed and troops scurrying for cover, Reuters news agency reported.

Italy has about 3,800 troops serving in Afghanistan, the majority of them in the west.

The BBC's Quentin Somerville says Herat - a relatively peaceful city near the border with Iran - is due to be soon handed to Afghan control, and so the attack is quite significant.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.