A blast which rocked the Afghan capital today was accidental, NATO said, as Washington's military chief arrived to explain the sacking of the US commander of foreign forces in the country. The blast, near the foreign ministry in Kabul's embassy district, happened when an anti-personnel mine in an Afghan army vehicle accidentally detonated, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said. It was not an attack by Taliban-linked insurgents, Lieutenant-Commander Ian Baxter said of the blast, which happened at about 9.55 am (5.25am GMT). Police on the scene said there were no casualties.
The blast happened after US Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Kabul late on Friday on a mission to reassure Afghan leaders following the sacking of the top commander in Kabul. Mullen was set to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the presidential office confirmed, after US General Stanley McChrystal was sacked for insubordination.
During his one-day visit, Admiral Mullen was also set to meet US and NATO officials, the US embassy said. The blast, if confirmed as a bombing by Taliban-linked insurgents, would be the first attack in the capital since a peace conference held on June 2. Sirens could be heard wailing across the city as emergency services and police rushed to the site, near the presidential palace, where Mr Karzai was set to hold a press conference on drugs.
His meeting with Admiral Mullen was set for later in the day, during which Admiral Mullen was expected to explain the circumstances leading up to Gen McChrystal's sacking and reassure Mr Karzai that a change of leadership did not mean a change of tactics. Meanwhile, a foreign soldier was killed in a Taliban-style bomb attack in southern Afghanistan today, NATO said. An ISAF statement said the soldier died following an improvised explosive device attack in the south. *AFP
