Afghan blast kills 5 on Rice visit
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A bomb blast in Afghanistan has killed at least five people as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a one-day trip, pledging long-term U.S. commitment to support the country's transition to democracy.
Witnesses on Thursday described a grisly scene following the bombing in southern Afghanistan, where 32 people were also injured, police said.
The Kandahar blast underscored the fragile security situation in the country and the threat the fledgling democracy faces.
The violence came Thursday as Rice, who is visiting several Asian nations, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the country planned to hold parliamentary elections in September.
They would take place nearly a year after the successful presidential elections in the central Asian nation, now attempting to develop democracy after years of iron-fisted rule by the militant Islamic government of the Taliban.
It has taken time to stage the parliamentary elections because of technical electoral issues, such as drawing up district boundaries.
The polls at first were to be held with the presidential election late last year, but the massive logistics have caused delays.
Rice, upbeat about progress in the country, also met U.S. troops and spoke about the upcoming polls.
"This is a large and complicated country. It takes a while to do these things. I'm quite confident these elections will be yet another example of the Afghan people's commitment to democracy."
She believes Afghanistan eventually will be able to fight the illegal drug trade and help farmers get away from poppy cultivation.
A State Department report this month said Afghanistan was on the verge of becoming a narcotics state and its heroin trade was "an enormous threat to world stability."
Afghanistan has become the heroin supplier to the world, and the trade in opium -- the base product for making heroin and morphine -- is estimated to account for up to 60 percent of gross domestic product.
On Tuesday, a U.S. coalition soldier died and four others were wounded in a land mine strike near Shindand, the military said Wednesday.
But despite the continued instability, Karzai said security is increasingly better in the country.
"It all comes with increasing capacity of Afghan state security and better services," said Karzai, who added that there has been "magnificent progress" because of the help of the United States and the international community.
The Taliban harbored Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terror network, which attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. U.S.-led forces launched a military campaign later that year and ousted the Taliban from power.
About 18,000 U.S.-led troops are stationed in the country fighting a lingering Taliban insurgency, and Karzai remains a target for al Qaeda. Bin Laden himself is believed to be somewhere in the country or neighboring Pakistan.
Journalist Rachel Morarjee contributed to this report.
