31°36′58″N 65°42′58″E / 31.616°N 65.716°E
| 2008 Kandahar bombing | |
|---|---|
  Kandahar Kandahar (Afghanistan) | |
| Location | Kandahar, Afghanistan |
| Date | February 17, 2008 |
Attack type | Suicide attack |
| Deaths | 100 |
| Injured | 100 |
| Perpetrators | Taliban, Islamic Party of Mullah Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, or independent jihadists (all suspected) |
The 2008 Kandahar bombing of February 17, 2008 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, was an attack targeting a crowd of people watching a dog-fighting competition. With more than 100 killed, it was the deadliest attack on Afghan soil since 2001.[1]
The target of the attack was believed to have been a local police commander who was killed in the blast, Abdul Hakim Jan. He was reported to be known in the area for the strong stand he took against Taliban forces. "He was a big wall for us; no one else can take his place," Ahmedullah, a 50-year-old farmer in the neighboring Arghandab District. "Now I guess that Arghandab can become a station of the Taliban. They were scared of our commander Abdul Hakim. Now we don't have any other person like him in the whole district."[2]
Kandahar Gov. Asadullah Khalid said he'd tried to warn the police commander away from the event, saying he, the Governor, had known there were bombers active in the area.[2]
"A Taliban spokesman calling himself Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told Canwest News Service that his group did not co-ordinate the first [Kandahar] suicide strike, but took responsibility for" a second the next day in Spin Boldak.[3]
- ^ "Afghan bomb toll 'rises to 100'". BBC News. 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
- ^ a b "Canadian troops blamed in blast that killed 38" by Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press, and Noor Khan thestar.com, with files from The Associated Press and Afghan journalist A.R. Khan; February 18, 2008. Note: The attack on the Canadians came a day later in the Spin Boldak District of Kandahar Province, and Asadullah Khalid had warned them, also, against taking their patrol. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
- ^ "Canadians were warned about bomber: Afghan governor" by Canwest News Service, February 18, 2008. Retrieved 2010-04-20.