Afghan explosion kills four children, one civilian

Kabul: Five Afghans, four of them children, were killed in an explosion yesterday, and gunmen shot dead a South African construction contractor and his Afghan colleague in a separate attack, officials said.

One member of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was also killed in an explosion in the south of the country, the force said, without identifying the victim's nationality.

Violence has surged in recent years as the Taliban made a comeback, reaching its highest levels since the militants were ousted by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.

Record numbers of civilians and Afghan and foreign troops have been killed.

Washington has begun sending an extra 30,000 troops to join about 115,000 foreign troops, most of them American, already in Afghanistan in an attempt to reverse the growing momentum of the Taliban insurgency.

The blast that killed the civilians struck in Kapisa province, to the northeast of Kabul, ISAF said in a statement.

Three other children were also wounded, the alliance said. It did not give details about the type of explosion, saying it was caused by insurgents who are fighting the government and foreign troops.

The South African and one of his Afghan colleagues, both employees of an Indian road construction firm, were killed by armed men in a southeastern area, said Sakhi Jan, an Afghan commander providing security for the firm.

An Indian and an Afghan worker from the company were wounded in the attack, which took place on a project site in Khost province, close to the border with Pakistan.

At least 2,412 civilians were killed in 2009 — a 14 per cent increase from 2008, according to the United Nations. Nearly 70 per cent of civilian deaths last year were caused by insurgents.

Casualty

• 2,412 civilians were killed in 2009
• 14% increase from 2008