KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 31, 2007

Suicide Bomb Hits Troops At Afghan Airport

German Patrol Targeted, 1 Afghan Soldier Killed, 4 NATO Troops From Belgium Wounded

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    • An investigator collects debris for testing after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday Aug. 31, 2007.

      An investigator collects debris for testing after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday Aug. 31, 2007.  (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

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      South Koreans watch a TV program displaying pictures of the last seven hostages held in Afghanistan at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007. All of the captives were released later Thursday.  (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

    • One of the four released Korean hostages, right, is seen in an ICRC vehicle after they were released by the Taliban in Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007.

      One of the four released Korean hostages, right, is seen in an ICRC vehicle after they were released by the Taliban in Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007.  (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

    • Freed South Korean hostage, Koh Se-hoon, walks near an international Red Cross vehicle after he and other four others were released by Taliban militants in Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007.

      Freed South Korean hostage, Koh Se-hoon, walks near an international Red Cross vehicle after he and other four others were released by Taliban militants in Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007.  (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

    • Three released South Korean hostages, with their head covered, are seen at the vehicle of the International Committee of the Red Cross, after they were released by Taliaban in Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007.

      Three released South Korean hostages, with their head covered, are seen at the vehicle of the International Committee of the Red Cross, after they were released by Taliaban in Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007.  (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

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(AP)  A suicide bomber in a car targeting a patrol of German soldiers blew himself up outside the gates of the Afghan capital's airport Friday, killing an Afghan soldier and wounding four Belgian troops, officials and witnesses said.

The blast missed its intended target and tore into a group of Afghan soldiers waiting at a checkpoint outside the military wing of Kabul International airport, witnesses said.

The German Defense Ministry said that the blast damaged two of their vehicles, but that no German troops were hurt.

Belgian Defense Minister Andre Flahaut said four Belgian soldiers were slightly wounded in the attack, with one suffering minor burns. Others suffered hearing damage.

Some 300 Belgian soldiers, serving with NATO's International Security Assistance Force, are in charge of security at Kabul's airport.

"A car drove fast and blew up next to a crowd of people, including Afghan National Army soldiers," said Mansur, a witness who only gave a single name. "A lot of people were left laying on the ground."

Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said at least one Afghan solider was killed and two others were wounded in the attack - the latest in a wave of insurgent-led violence in the country.

Other officials at the scene said one soldier was killed and at least six others, including two civilians, were wounded.

Ambulances ferried the wounded to a hospital, while NATO and Afghan troops secured the area. Debris from the car was widely scattered.

An Afghan noncommissioned officer said the bomber tried to ram a convoy of cars carrying foreigners. Instead, most of those hit were members of Afghan National Army, on their way for training in Italy, he said.

"All the shrapnel came toward us," said the soldier, who also declined to give his name.

Another soldier walked away from the scene holding a pair of bloodied boots and two green berets worn by Afghan National Army members.

Taliban militants are leading an increasingly bloody campaign against Afghan and Western troops in the country. Almost 4,000 people - most of them insurgents - have been killed this year alone, according to an Associated Press count.

Most of the violence has been in the south and the east where the Taliban are historically strongest, but there has also been a series of suicide attacks against foreign and Afghan security forces in the capital, Kabul.

© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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