A suicide car bomber killed four people and wounded at least 12 others yesterday in an attack on a coalition convoy in the southern city of Kandahar, officials said.
The bomb exploded near a motorcade carrying Kandahar's provincial Governor Assadullah Khalid, who has been critical of the Taliban.
The bomber, driving a SUV pick-up, detonated his explosives between two vehicles in a coalition patrol, coalition spokesman Major Scott Lundy.
"There were no coalition casualties," he said.
Lundy would not identify the nationality of the patrol, which witnesses said was Canadian.
The Canadian military, which has 2,300 soldiers in Kandahar Province and has been the target of several suicide blasts, would not immediately comment.
"Four civilians including a woman were killed and 12 others were wounded," said Yousuf Stanizai, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior spokesman in Kabul.
"It was the work of the enemies of the government," he said, using a phrase that generally refers to the Taliban movement.
Khalid said he did not believe he had been the target of the attack.
"The explosion was in between our convoy and a coalition convoy. The attacker tried to pass us and we let him go -- that means the target was not me, it was the coalition," he said.
The blast shattered the windows of several businesses and at least one shop caught fire, witnesses said. There were body parts at the scene of the blast.
Meanwhile, a Taliban commander in Pakistan yesterday claimed that his group is gaining strength in Afghanistan and are determined to intensify their attacks against foreign and government forces.
Mullah Hayat Khan said the recent violence was winning the militants more support.
"Now the people of Afghanistan are giving full cooperation to us," Khan said in the southwestern Pakistani border town of Chaman.
"There is more anger against foreign forces and their brutality against the people," he said, referring to recent bombing by US forces that he said had killed many civilians.
"The people of Afghanistan have become fed up with Americans," said Khan, who said he was Taliban commander of the Spin Boldak area, in Kandahar, opposite Chaman.
"They break into houses, arrest people indiscriminately and torture them. These brutalities have increased anger among the people," he said.
"They are providing us shelter. They also lend us their arms and even take part in our jihad [holy war]. Even people within the government are cooperating with us."
He said the Taliban were also grooming suicide attackers and vowed there would be more attacks against foreign forces.
"At least 40 suicide bombers in my group are ready for attacks. They are all Afghans," he said.
"It is now not very difficult to prepare suicide attackers. In the past, al Qaeda used to prepare Taliban for suicide attacks but now we have gained expertise. I myself am able to train people," he said.
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