Monday, November 19, 2007

Set off one bomb

And the mercenary bodyguards will do the rest:
Kabul, Afghanistan (AHN) - A U.N. report, obtained by the Associated Press Monday, says security guards, not suicide bombers, are responsible for the majority of casualties in a bloody attack in northern Afghanistan on November 6. The report said that the guards, hired to protect Afghan lawmakers, fired "deliberately and indiscriminately" into a crowd of unarmed civilians.

The attack took place as a group of lawmakers traveled to Baghlan province to celebrate an economic development project in the region. It claimed 77 lives, among them six MPs and 61 children who had gathered to welcome them. Another 100 people were wounded in the incident.

The U.N. Department of Safety and Security report claims that in the chaos that followed the suicide bomb, the guards fired into the crowd for several minutes.

It says their gunfire could be to blame in as many as two-thirds of the casualties. "It has been confirmed that eight of the teachers in charge of this group of school children suffered multiple gunshot wounds, five of which died," the report reads.

The government of Afghanistan has estimated the number of shooting victims to be much lower. Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary has claimed most victims were hit by ball bearings from the bomb, with only "a few" people wounded by bullets.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan told the AP the results of the investigation are still under debate and have not been officially endorsed by the international body.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Afghan officials have not yet named suspects.

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