2 Die, 9 Hurt In Afghan Car Bombing

A suicide attacker detonated his explosives-filled car Wednesday near a military convoy in Kandahar, killing two and wounding nine — including two Canadian soldiers, Afghan and coalition officials said.

The troops were on their way back from a patrol in a light-armored vehicle when they were hit by the attacker's car around 7:30 p.m. in Kandahar city, said coalition spokesman Maj. Quentin Innis.

The attacker was killed and two Canadian soldiers were injured, he said.

An Afghan bystander also was killed and seven others injured, said governor's spokesman Dawood Ahmadi.

The wounded included one policeman and six civilians, who were taken to Mir Wais Hospital, said Dr. Aziz Khan.

Earlier, Afghan and coalition troops killed 10 militants in an attack on an enemy compound in southern Uruzgan province, the military said Wednesday.

Coalition troops pursued militants seeking cover Tuesday in the Char Chine Valley of Shahidi Hassas district in Uruzgan, a military statement said.

Soldiers also confiscated roadside bombs and small arms ammunition. There were no coalition casualties.

In neighboring Helmand province, coalition and Afghan troops fought more than 30 militants near Musa Qala, who fled into a nearby village for cover, the statement added.

It was unclear if there were any militant casualties, but a U.S. soldier and Afghan soldier were wounded, the military said.

Also Wednesday, coalition soldiers accidentally fired on an unmarked police car in eastern Afghanistan, killing three Afghan policemen and wounding three, the U.S. military said.

The shooting happened Tuesday at a checkpoint in eastern Kunar province when a car approached without slowing down, Col. Tom Collins said during a press briefing in the capital, Kabul.

Coalition soldiers saw that the occupants, who were not in uniform, were armed and "felt they were in immediate danger so they opened fire on the vehicle," he said.

Collins said the U.S.-led coalition "regrets the incident."

Southern Afghanistan will witness "significant fighting" between U.S.-led coalition and Taliban forces for several months, Collins said Wednesday.

"People should expect significant fighting in certain areas of the south over the coming months," Collins said.

"That's the whole purpose of Mountain Thrust, (which) is to go into the area where the government doesn't have a presence right now and take the threat out of those areas," he said.

Operation Mountain Thrust began in earnest last week with more than 10,000 Afghan, British, Canadian and American troops deploying throughout four southern provinces to crush a resurgent Taliban force in the largest military operation since the former regime's 2001 ouster.

Collins said more than 90 enemy fighters have been killed in recent days as Taliban forces resist the coalition push into areas where they have held control.

"We are seeing the enemy operating in larger groups. They are fighting hard. They are clearly trying to stop our efforts to move into certain areas," he said.

The Taliban have been maintaining pressure on coalition forces with continued suicide attacks and ambushes in the area.

Collins promised there will be "a lot of fighting ... (and) a lot of activity" through the summer.

"By the end of the activity, you will have significantly more troops down there as NATO progresses into the area. The Taliban will ultimately lose in that area," he said.

The offensive was timed to coincide with the upcoming transfer of command in the south this summer from the U.S.-led coalition to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.