Taliban denies role in Afghan blast

Central & South Asia

Seven die in new attack on military convoy as Kandahar bomb victims are buried.

Last Modified: 18 Feb 2008 11:02 GMT

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Afghan policemen and bystanders inspect the site of the bomb blast in Kandahar [AFP]

The Taliban has denied any responsibility for Sunday's deadly bombing at a dog fighting competition in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar that killed about 80 people and left many more wounded.

Afghan officials had earlier pointed the finger at the group, but sources told Al Jazeera that the Taliban was denying any role in the blast.

On Monday, thousands turned up to bury friends and relatives who died in the blast, described as the deadliest since the Taliban was driven out of power in 2001.

Also during the day, another suicide attacker targeted a foreign military convoy in a southern town, killing seven civilians.

At least three soldiers in the convoy and six civilians were also wounded in the attack that happened on a road in the Spin Boldak town close to the border with Pakistan, border commander Abdul Razaaq said.

Dog fighting

Assadullah Khalid, Kandahar's provincial governor, said Sunday's blast was triggered by a suicide bomber.

He blamed Taliban for the attack.

"This suicide attack was the work of the Taliban, the enemies of Afghanistan," he said.

Among the victims was Abdul Hakim Jan, the commander of a local militia that was opposed to the Taliban.

"The [dog fighting] match was going on and all of a sudden the explosion went off," witness Abdul Rahman, whose brother was killed, said.

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, condemned the attack from Qatar, where he was on an official trip, accusing the "enemies of Afghanistan who cannot tolerate the happiness of our people".

"Such acts are against the values of Islam," he said in a statement.

The Taliban first surfaced in Kandahar province in the early 1990s.

While the Taliban was in government, dog fighting was considered unIslamic and severely punished. It has become immensely popular since the Taliban was driven out of Kabul.