Suicide Attack Leaves 10 Afghans Dead

A suicide bomber attacked a crowded market Thursday, killing 10 Afghans and wounding 50 others in a town just a few hundred yards from where the U.S. ambassador was meeting local leaders.

Thursday’s attack occurred in Tirin Kot, capital of mountainous Oruzgan province, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the last year.

Townsfolk were trading sheep, vegetables and other goods at the market, about 500 yards from where Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann was meeting local officials, deputy provincial Gov. Abdul Aziz said. The envoy was not hurt.

It was unclear whether the attacker intended to target the market or set off his explosives prematurely.

“People were lying dead and wounded everywhere. They were screaming and crying. Some had no legs and arms,” said Dil Aqa, a 50-year-old farmer. “Who would do such a thing? These were innocent people.”

Neumann returned safely to the capital, Kabul, U.S. Embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammed Yousuf, called Associated Press shortly after the blast to claim responsibility. He said the assailant was an Afghan and had hidden a land mine under his clothes.

He said the Taliban was aware that some senior U.S. officials planned to visit the town, but did not know who. He said the bomber intended to attack them. Yousuf has claimed Taliban responsibility for previous attacks, but his ties to the militia leadership are unclear.