I did not say Indians were not targeted: Holbrooke

In the face of US media reports that Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) searched for Indians in last week's deadly attack in Kabul, a top US diplomat has regretted his remarks suggesting Indians were not targeted.

"I regret any misunderstanding caused by my comments on the recent terrorist attack in Kabul, which claimed the lives of 6 Indians and at least ten citizens of other nations," US Special Representative For Afghanistan And Pakistan Richard C Holbrooke said on Friday.

"I did not say Indians were not targeted, but that initially it looked like the target was not an official Indian facility," he said. "Early reports on events like this are often unreliable, and I try not to jump to conclusions."

"We all know that Indian citizens have and continue to be targeted by terrorists, including inside Afghanistan," Mr Holbrooke said adding, "My heart goes out to the families of all of the victims."

"The Afghan people and international community deeply appreciate the very substantial humanitarian and reconstruction assistance that India provides Afghanistan," he said in a bid to soothe any ruffled feathers in New Delhi.

"The willingness of India to take risks and make sacrifices to help Afghanistan is testament to India's commitment to global peace and prosperity and a vital part of the international commitment to Afghanistan's future," Mr Holbrooke said.

At a media briefing here Tuesday Holbrooke had said: "First of all, in regard to this attack, I don't accept the fact that this was an attack on an Indian facility like the embassy."

"There were foreigners, non-Indian foreigners hurt. It was a soft target. And let's not jump to conclusions," he told reporters when asked how Indians in Afghanistan could feel safe in the wake of last week's attack.

"I understand why everyone in Pakistan and everyone in India always focuses on the other. But please, let's not draw a conclusion which - for which there's no proof," he said.

4 civilians killed in Afghan suicide bombing

A suicide car bomber targeted NATO forces on Monday outside the major southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing four civilians, the Interior Ministry said. It was not immediately known if there were any NATO casualties.

The attacker waited in a station-wagon taxi near a bridge between the airport and city that NATO troops regularly check for explosives, said Inhamullah Khan, an Afghan army official at the bombing site.

The assailant detonated the bomb as the convoy crossed the bridge in the morning, tossing a military vehicle into the ravine below, Mr Khan said.

Mr Khan did not have information on NATO casualties. NATO spokesman Maj. Marcin Walczak of the Polish Army said the international military coalition was aware of the incident but did not yet have any details on casualties.

The Interior Ministry confirmed four civilian deaths in a statement. Three of the civilians who died were in a car that had pulled over nearby to wait for the convoy to pass, Mr Khan said.

Kandahar city, the capital of the province of the same name, is east of Helmand province, where thousands of U.S., NATO and Afghan troops are conducting a two-week old offensive to wrest control of the town of Marjah.

The town has long been controlled by the Taliban and the assault is seen as the first step in a multi-month offensive that will eventually target Taliban strongholds around Kandahar city.

Four Indians among 15 dead as Taliban bombers attack Kabul

Suicide bombers attacked in the heart of Kabul on Friday, triggering a series of explosions and gunbattles that killed at least 17 people in an area that’s home to small residential hotels used by foreigners, police and witnesses said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying five suicide bombers conducted the early morning attacks on two buildings used by foreign citizens, while police said the attackers numbered at least three. Police said Indians were among those killed.

Dr. Surbod Sanjiv Paul of India stayed holed up in his bathroom for three hours inside one of the guest houses when it came under attack.

“When I was coming out, I found two or three dead bodies,” Paul said later at a military hospital, where his wounded foot was bandaged. “When firing was going on, the first car bomb exploded and the full roof came on my head.”

The attacks in Kabul came as thousands of U.S., Afghan and NATO soldiers were in their second week of a major offensive against a Taliban stronghold in the town of Marjah in Helmand province. In recent weeks, more than two dozen senior Taliban figures have been detained in Pakistan in recent weeks, suggesting that the attack in the capital could be a way for the militants to show that the insurgency remains potent.

At least 17 people were killed in Friday’s attack and 32 wounded, said Abdul Ghafar Sayedzada, head of criminal investigation for the Kabul police. He said three of the dead were police officers and most of the civilians who were killed were Indians.

The targets were two residential hotels. A car bomb flattened the Hamid Guesthouse and assailants also attacked the nearby Park Residence, Sayedzada said. An Associated Press reporter saw police carry seven bodies from the Park Residence.

“I saw foreigners were crying and shouting,” said Najibullah, a 25-year-old hotel worker who ran out into the rain-slickened street when he heard the first explosion.

Najibullah, whose face and hands were covered in blood, said he saw two suicide bombers at the site. “It was a very bad situation inside,” he said. “God helped me, otherwise I would be dead. I saw one suicide bomber blowing himself up.

The explosions woke up residents near the Kabul City Center, a nine-story shopping area that includes the four-star Safi Landmark Hotel. Witnesses said one explosion created a crater about 3 feet (1 meter) wide and that windows of the nearby Safi hotel were blown out.