Bomber kills Canadian in Kabul
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Canadian troops secure the scene of the bombing.
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KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bombing in Kabul has killed one Canadian soldier and wounded three others, a spokesman for the NATO-led security force said.
One Afghan civilian also died, and eight other people were treated for injuries at local hospitals, police and doctors told The Associated Press.
The suicide bomber reportedly threw himself on a vehicle that was part of a small International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrol convoy operating in the Afghan capital.
Ali Jan Askaryar, head of police in the western district of Kabul where the blast struck, said the Canadians were in a three-vehicle patrol when they were attacked at about 8:30 a.m. (0400 GMT) Tuesday.
"There was a bump in the road, and when they slowed down to pass over it a terrorist jumped on one of the vehicles and blew himself up," Askaryar told AP.
International troops and local police cordoned off the scene, about 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from the main Canadian base in Kabul and close to a war-ruined former royal palace.
NATO took over command of the multinational peacekeeping force from Germany and the Netherlands in August.
The force is made up of about 5,500 troops, largely Canadian and German soldiers.
The Afghan government has little control in most of the country's 32 provinces, where governors often rule like warlords with private militias more than two years after a U.S.-led force removed the Taliban from power.
Canadian soldiers are part of a 5,500-strong peacekeeping force.
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Taliban and al Qaeda rebels have been launching increasingly bold assaults in recent months, raiding police stations, killing aid workers and confronting U.S. troops in growing numbers.
Just this month alone, 60 people have been killed by ongoing violence, AP said.
Many of the attacks have taken place in the south and east of the country near the border with Pakistan.
Afghan and Western officials have long complained that insurgents have found a safe haven in Pakistan and cross the border frequently to launch attacks.
In June, four German soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in a suicide attack on their bus, one of the most serious post-Taliban attacks in the capital.
A mine explosion killed two Canadian troops in October.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
