Afghan Blast Deemed an Accident

A grenade explosion that injured 159 people in a crowded marketplace was an accident, not an act of terrorism, police said Friday.

“A grenade fell off a soldier accidentally, and some people were injured,” said Gen. Shujaddin, who like many Afghans uses only one name.

The explosion occurred Thursday afternoon in the Kefayat market in this northern city. Initially, officials feared that it was the work of fighters loyal to the defeated Taliban regime.

Instead, police said, rowdy Northern Alliance soldiers caused the explosion: A grenade carried by one of the men bounced into the bazaar and went off.

By Friday evening, virtually all traces of the blast had been cleared away. Money-changers did business amid a sense of day-to-day normality.

“The market is safe now,” said Mohammed Aref, a police officer.

About 40 people were being treated for shrapnel wounds. Officials said 159 people were injured--up from the 100 wounded reported earlier.

One of the most seriously wounded was Mukhtar Shah, 20, who went to the market to change money. His leg was severely injured and might have to be amputated. Shah said he saw a small smoking orb roll by, and then it exploded.

“I feel that the city is safe,” he said. “But this event worries me.”

The local hospital operates with few supplies or equipment. One man’s injured leg was suspended with wire and secured by bricks. There are no ambulances, so the wounded arrived in taxis and private cars.

Mazar-i-Sharif is the largest city in northern Afghanistan, with about 200,000 people. Some of the deadliest fighting of the Afghan war occurred in or near Mazar-i-Sharif, and it was the first city that the Taliban gave up after the U.S. launched airstrikes against Afghanistan on Oct. 7.