Afghanistan | Car bombing kills at least 12, including 3 Americans

Afghan security forces and British soldiers inspect the site of a suicide attack in the heart of Kabul

A suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy traveling through a crowded neighborhood in Afghanistan’s capital Saturday, killing at least 12 people, including three American civilian contractors for the international military force, authorities said.
The Taliban quickly denied it was behind in the attack in Kabul’s Macrorayan neighborhood, though the militants increasingly have been targeting Kabul in recent weeks and often don’t claim attacks that maim large numbers of civilians.
The attack struck near the private Shinozada hospital, the sound of the powerful blast roaring throughout the capital. Ambulances and Afghan security forces quickly surrounded the blast site, blocking access off from about 1 kilometer away.
The bombing killed at least 11 Afghan civilians and one foreigner and wounded 66, said Wahidullah Mayar, a Health Ministry spokesman. In a statement, NATO said one of the Americans was killed in the blast, while the two others later died of their wounds. The contractors were not named.
It was not immediately possible to reconcile the differing casualty figures, though conflicting information is common after such attacks.
At least one armored vehicle in the convoy had been destroyed by the blast. It wasn’t clear how many armored cars were in the convoy, though it is at least two, often three because of heightened security concerns in the capital.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. In an email to journalists, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied his group was responsible. Rahim Faiez, Kabul, AP