Space Travel News  
Bullets flew past president: Afghan minister describes attack

by Staff Writers
Kabul (AFP) April 27, 2008
Bullets sped past President Hamid Karzai and black smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the air when militants struck Afghanistan's most important military parade Sunday, a minister told AFP.

Gunfire and explosions erupted soon after Karzai had taken his place on a stage with a host of dignitaries, including government ministers, ambassadors and foreign and Afghan military commanders.

Health Minister Mohammad Amin Fatimie said he was seated just three metres (10 feet) from Karzai.

"As soon as the first bullets hit, the president was covered by bodyguards," he said. "He was escorted out. I could see bullets ricocheting, black smoke, and I could smell gunpowder," he said.

"At first I couldn't, actually no one could, figure out what had happened," Fatimie recalled. "The security guards told everyone to lie down and we did."

The minister said he saw an explosion directly in front of the platform on which the dignitaries were seated.

"As the bullets were hitting the stage, I saw something -- most likely a rocket-propelled grenade -- land and explode in front of the stage," Fatimie said.

Two people, possibly security guards, were wounded, he said.

The roughly 3,000 security personnel preparing for the parade broke from their formations in panic as the several hundreds guests fled. Scattered gunfire was heard about 15 minutes afterwards, an AFP reporter said.

Karzai was unscathed by the latest in a string of close shaves since he became the first leader of a post-Taliban administration.

However three people, including an MP and a tribal chief, were killed and more than a dozen hurt.

Fatimie said many of the wounded were evacuated in private cars because ambulances could not enter the area.

"It was a very serious and dangerous attack but thank God the casualties were very low," he said.

In a live television address just an hour after the attack, Karzai said security forces had been able to arrest some of the attackers but he gave no details.

Even as the drama was unfolding, a spokesman for the extremist Taliban telephoned media to claim responsibility saying the strike was to "show to the world that we can attack anywhere we want to."

Related Links
News From Across The Stans



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Turkish army confirms air raid, shelling in northern Iraq
Ankara (AFP) April 26, 2008
Turkish warplanes and artillery have targeted Kurdish rebels in neighbouring northern Iraq this weekend, the Turkish army said on Saturday.







  • Rocket Mystery Explained With New Imaging Technique
  • NASA Awards Contract For Engine Technology Development
  • SpaceX Conducts First Three-Engine Firing Of Falcon 9 Rocket
  • European Space Truck Jules Verne In Parking Orbit

  • Arianespace plans bid to launch Galileo satellites: CEO
  • NASA Awards Launch Services Contract To SpaceX
  • Prisma Satellites To Be Launched In June 2009
  • Ariane 5 rocket lifts Brazilian, Vietnamese satellites into space

  • NASA faces long odds in shuttle schedule
  • Hope Takes Flight On Shuttle Discovery
  • NASA reschedules shuttle launch date
  • Shuttle Endeavour returns after record-setting mission to ISS

  • Expedition 16's Whitson Hands Over Command Of Station
  • NASA Awards Space Station Water Contract To Hamilton Sundstrand
  • Russia Needs Billions More To Complete It's ISS Segment
  • Russia to call for extending ISS use

  • Explorers Flight Launch Set For June
  • Japan to send cherry seeds into space
  • Space station crew lucky to survive re-entry: agency
  • Stephen Hawking urges new era of space conquest

  • China Launches New Space Tracking Ship To Serve Shenzhou VII
  • Three Rocketeers For Shenzhou
  • China's space development can pose military threat: Japan
  • Cassini Tastes Organic Material At Saturn's Geyser Moon

  • Canada rejects sale of space firm to US defense firm
  • The Future Of Robotic Warfare Part Two
  • Robot anaesthetist developed in France: doctor
  • Surgeons use robots during heart surgery

  • More Trouble For Opportunity's Robotic Arm
  • Spirit Still Sitting Pretty For This Time Of Year
  • Driving on Mars Is Hard
  • Mars Radar Opens Up A Planet's Third Dimension

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement