Five Killed, 29 Injured in Afghan Bomb Blast

A bomb exploded on a bustling street of this western city Sunday, killing five people and injuring 29 as U.N. and government officials watched a disarmament parade for militia soldiers across town.

Herat police said they had arrested one suspect. But there was no immediate claim of responsibility, and it was unclear who was behind the attack, which came two days after Afghanistan pushed elec- tions back to Oct. 9.

Police Chief Ziauddin Mahmoudi said the time bomb was hidden in a pile of garbage near a building with shops on the ground floor and a police station upstairs.

Officials said the five dead included a 12-year-old boy. One police officer was among the 29 injured, six of whom were in critical condition, said Mohammed Omar Sameem, head of public health.

Mahmoudi said his officers had detained a man who lived near the scene and found 15 pistols and ammunition inside his home. The suspect, who wasn’t identified, denied any involvement, Mahmoudi said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed the attack on “enemies who are desperately trying to derail Afghanistan from the path of reconstruction, peace and democ- racy.”

Across town, aides to Herat Gov. Ismail Khan said he supported Sunday’s ceremony at a military base on the edge of the province that marked the start of a drive to dismantle his private army.

About 750 troops from an armored brigade set for demobilization paraded as a deputy defense minister and United Nations officials watched. Khan stayed away.