Bomb Hits NATO Vehicle, Kills 4 Afghans

A roadside bomb hit a vehicle used by NATO peacekeepers Wednesday in northern Afghanistan, killing the Afghan driver and three bystanders, police said.

The bomb showered shrapnel on the sport utility vehicle as it passed through a busy market in Kunduz, 150 miles north of Kabul, the capital.

“A mine was detonated on the edge of the road by remote control,” Kunduz Police Chief Mutaleb Beg said. “The driver lost control and ran

Besides the driver, two children and an elderly man passing by were killed, Beg said. Another youngster was injured, he said.

A spokesman for the peacekeepers, squadron leader Sean McFetrich, said the vehicle was clearly marked with the international force’s green insignia and German flags.

McFetrich denied Beg’s suggestion that the SUV was part of a military convoy from the 250-strong German contingent, which patrols the region. He said the vehicle was being taken to a garage for servicing when the attack occurred.

Kunduz is the only place outside the Afghan capital where the 6,500-strong NATO-led security force has a presence, though it plans to set up at least five more so-called provincial reconstruction teams in time for elections in September.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations have been slow to pledge extra soldiers and equipment for the rollout, but the force’s commander said Wednesday that he expected an order to send troops to areas near two more northern cities.

Insurgents have vowed to sabotage the vote. Wednesday’s attack came a week after 11 Chinese workers were shot in their beds in the same province, and a day after President Bush lauded Afghanistan as the “first victory in the war on terrorism.”

The Chinese road workers and an Afghan guard were killed June 10 in Kunduz province.

Though he cited progress in the country, Bush said Tuesday: “The road ahead for Afghanistan is still long and difficult.”