Blast at charity's Kabul compound
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An explosion caused minor damage but no injuries Wednesday at the offices of an international humanitarian organization in the Afghan capital, officials said.
The source of the explosion near the Afghan Commerce Ministry was being investigated, said Maj. Kevin Arata, a spokesman for the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kabul.
The blast slightly damaged a wall and blew out windows at the nearby office of the international charity, Save The Children.
"We still don't know if it was an accidental explosion or if it was something that was done on purpose," said Arata.
Later Wednesday, Arata said engineers found no other explosive devices in the area but that they still hadn't determined the cause of the blast.
Canadian troops were on patrol nearby around 11 a.m. when the explosion occurred.
The sound of the blast was loud enough to shake the building, said Muhammad Farid, a guard at Save The Children. He said the explosion had apparently come from rocks piled in front of the building for construction.
While rocket and mortar attacks are common against the Afghan government and international troops outside Kabul, they are relatively rare in the capital itself, which is patrolled by the 5,000-strong NATO-led peace force.
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