Military

DATE=1/28/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=AFGHANISTAN BLASTS (L)

NUMBER=2-312394

BYLINE=MICHAEL KITCHEN

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: In Afghanistan, a British peacekeeper was killed and several other people were injured in an apparent suicide bombing in the capital, Kabul. V-O-A's Michael Kitchen reports from neighboring Pakistan the attack came just one day after a suicide bombing claimed the life of a Canadian soldier in the west of the city.

TEXT: Officials with the international peacekeeping force say the attack on a British convoy took place Wednesday morning near a U-S peacekeeping base.

Lieutenant Colonel Hans Breemans is a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, or I-SAF.

/// BREEMANS ACT 1 ///

A British patrol vehicle was damaged by a bomb explosion. In that event, one British I-SAF soldier was killed . We also (have) no reports of any Afghan civilian or other civilian casualties at that time.

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Afghan police say a suicide bomber drove a taxi up to two peacekeeping vehicles and then detonated the blast.

I-SAF officers also say there was a bombing near a German base, but no fatalities were reported.

The explosion comes one day after a suicide attack on a Canadian peacekeeping convoy, which killed one soldier and one Afghan civilian.

Afghanistan suffers from an armed anti-government insurgency, led by remnants of the country's former hard-line Taleban regime.

Late last year, the Taleban promised a wave of suicide attacks against foreigners in Kabul, which had been relatively calm until Tuesday's attack on the Canadian troops.

Taleban commanders have reportedly claimed responsibility for that attack, although Lieutenant Colonel Breemans says it is too early to know for sure who carried out any of the bombings.

/// BREEMANS ACT 2 ///

We have no idea. We are investigating the issue, together with the Kabul community police.

/// END ACT ///

NATO commanders lead the international peacekeeping force, which is charged with maintaining security in Kabul.

A U-S-led coalition ousted the Taleban from power in 2001, because the regime harbored leaders from the al-Qaida terror network. (SIGNED)

NEB/HK/MK/KPD