34 Afghans Die in Bus Crash

VOA News
19 August 2011

Afghan officials say a bus has careened off a southern mountain road, killing at least 34 people.

A Kandahar provincial spokesman says at least 24 passengers were injured Saturday in the accident.

In western Afghanistan, officials say a rickshaw bomb has detonated near an Afghan army truck in Herat, killing two soldiers and wounding at least 3 others.

On Friday, suicide bombers stormed Britain's cultural center in Kabul, triggering hours of fighting that killed nine people, including a NATO soldier.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place as Afghanistan celebrated the 92nd anniversary of the country's independence from Britain.

The siege of the British Council offices in Kabul began when one of the bombers detonated a car full of explosives outside the main gate, while another suicide bomber struck inside the complex.

Three other militants got inside and engaged in an eight-hour gunfight with Afghan security forces. NATO forces responded, providing support to Afghan police and troops. The attack ended when all the militants were killed.

Both NATO and Afghan President Hamid Karzai also condemned the attack.

Violence in Afghanistan is at its worst since the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001.

International forces are beginning to pull out of Afghanistan and transfer security responsibility to their Afghan counterparts. All foreign combat troops are set to leave the country by the end of 2014.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.