Car Bomb Targets Troops, Kills 3 Afghans

A suicide car bomber hit a convoy of international soldiers in Kabul on Thursday, killing three Afghans caught in the blast, police said.

The attack targeted two armored SUVs, causing minor damage to the vehicles. None of the soldiers inside the vehicles was wounded or killed, said Lt. Col. David Johnson, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition. He did not immediately know the nationalities of the troops.

Also Thursday, a senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province contacted CBS News and said militants had kidnapped a French national near the town of Janda.

The French citizen, said to be a man, and his Afghan driver were allegedly seized while traveling by car. The Taliban commander, who spoke to CBS on condition or anonymity, did not give the French national's name, but said the captive used to work for the Afghan government.

CBS News could not independently verify the Taliban's claim, but the source has provided accurate information in the past. Officials on duty at the French Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry told CBS early Thursday morning they were unaware of any French nationals missing in Afghanistan.

Ghazni province is where Taliban militants kidnapped 23 Christian church volunteers from South Korea on July 19 last year. Two of the hostages were killed and the rest were eventually freed.

U.S. troops from a base on the outskirts of Kabul cordoned off the area shortly after the car bomb attack.

The blast killed three Afghans and wounded four, said Mohammad Aslam, a police officer at the scene. Small shops line the road, and pedestrians frequently walk alongside the busy route.

An Afghan father wailed and beat himself after the bombing, saying a child of his was killed in the blast. Children's shoes lay in the road after the bombing.

The attack took place on a road leading to several military bases that is frequently targeted by bombers.

Militants have increased their use of suicide attacks the last two years. They typically target Afghan and international police and soldiers, but Afghan civilians are often killed and wounded in the attacks.