The 2008 Kandahar bombing of February 17, 2008 in
Kandahar
Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, 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.
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
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
. They were scared of our commander Abdul Hakim. Now we don't have any other person like him in the whole district."
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.
["Canadian troops blamed in blast that killed 38"](_blank)
by Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press, and Noor Khan ''thestar.com'', with files from The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
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.
"A Taliban spokesman calling himself Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told
Canwest News Service
Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is an American-owned Canadian-based media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in Engl ...
that his group did not co-ordinate the first
andaharsuicide strike, but took responsibility for" a second the next day in
Spin Boldak.
"Canadians were warned about bomber: Afghan governor"
by Canwest News Service, February 18, 2008. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
See also
* List of massacres in Afghanistan
The following is a list of massacres that have occurred in Afghanistan (numbers may be approximate). The list does not include collateral damage, especially from raids and airstrikes, which were due to mistaken identity or unfortunately getti ...
References
External links
In pictures: Afghanistan blast
''BBC News''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kandahar Bombing
2008 murders in Afghanistan
Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2008
Mass murder in 2008
2008 massacres of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Suicide bombings in Afghanistan
21st century in Kandahar
February 2008 in Afghanistan
February 2008 crimes in Asia
2008 in Afghan sport
Suicide bombings in 2008
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2008
Islamic terrorism in Afghanistan