2 U.S. Men, Afghan Injured by Grenade

Two U.S. soldiers and their Afghan interpreter were wounded Tuesday afternoon when a teenage boy, later identified as an Islamic militant, threw a grenade into their jeep at a busy intersection near the capital’s Blue Mosque.

The Americans and their assistant, who weren’t immediately identified, were rushed to a hospital operated by the foreign peacekeepers that patrol Kabul.

Both Americans were in stable condition, and the interpreter suffered only light wounds, said British Maj. Gordon Mackenzie, a spokesman for the peacekeeping force.

The teenager, who was arrested by police, was described by Afghan authorities as a native of the rural province of Khowst, a former stronghold of the Taliban movement. He had recently trained at a Pakistani religious academy and was acting on instructions from an Islamic extremist group, officials said.

A policeman at the scene, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a second man tried to throw a grenade at the vehicle but was tackled by a fruit vendor. He was also arrested.

Police who questioned the 17-year-old, identified variously as Amir Khan or Amir Mohammed, said he spoke English, was well educated and expressed strong anti-American feelings.

“He said, ‘I am a Muslim and I don’t want Americans here,’ ” Interior Minister Taj Mohamad Wardak said. “We should take this very seriously. It is the beginning of a larger campaign of terrorism in Kabul.” He said the attacker “definitely belonged to a network. He was not an ordinary boy.”