80 American soldiers hurt in Afghan suicide blast

By Rizwan Khatik - Mon Sep 12, 4:19 am

KABUL: Nearly 80 American soldiers were wounded and five Afghan civilians killed in a Taleban truck bombing targeting an American base in eastern Afghanistan, NATO said Sunday, a stark reminder that the war in Afghanistan still rages 10 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks against the United States.

The blast, which occurred late Saturday, shaved the facades from shops outside the Combat Outpost Sayed Abad in Wardak province. The attack was carried out by a Taleban suicide bomber who detonated a large bomb inside a truck carrying firewood.

The Taleban claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement e-mailed to media, the Taleban accused the United States of using the Sept. 11 attacks as a pretext to invade Afghanistan and said the international community was responsible for killing thousands of Afghans during the invasion and ensuing occupation.

“Each year, 9/11 reminds the Afghans of an event in which they had no role whatsoever,” the Taleban said. “American colonialism has shed the blood of tens of thousands of miserable and innocent Afghans.”

“Some back home have asked why we are still here,” US Ambassador Ryan Crocker said at a 9/11 memorial at the embassy in Kabul. “The reason is simple. Al-Qaeda is not here in Afghanistan, and that is because we are.”