Bomb kills five on day Rice visits

A bomb blast in southern Afghanistan killed at least five people yesterday as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a one-day trip, pledging long-term US commitment to an Afghan transition to democracy.

Rice said Afghanistan had made great progress since United States forces helped the Afghan opposition oust the Taleban militia in retaliation for hosting Osama bin Laden, whose al Qaeda militants masterminded the September 11 attacks on the US.

"We have a long-term commitment to this country," Rice said at a news conference with President Hamid Karzai. Guards with assault rifles dotted the audience.

A Taleban-inspired insurgency has faded over the past few months but intense security for Rice's visit exposed fears over possible attacks.

The top US diplomat flew to Kabul in a military cargo plane instead of the 757 jet she is using on the rest of her six-country sweep through Asia.

Rice was constantly flanked by troops with guns and bullet-proof vests. Local and foreign forces stood guard as her motorcade of four-wheel-drive vehicles kicked up dust through the city.

Yesterday's blast killed five people in the former Taleban stronghold of Kandahar, 460km southwest of the capital. It was the worst bomb attack since August. More than 30 people were wounded.

A senior security officer blamed Taleban loyalists, but a Taleban spokesman denied responsibility.

Rice, on her first visit to Kabul, said the US would stick by the Afghan Government as it sought to bring peace and stability after decades of violence.

 

The US Administration sees Afghanistan as a foreign policy success. After throwing out the Taleban, it set the country on the path to its first democratic presidential election last year, which Karzai easily won.

The Kandahar blast underscored the fragile security situation in the country and the threat the fledgling democracy faces.

About 18,000 US-led troops are fighting a lingering insurgency and Karzai remains a target for al Qaeda.

Bin Laden himself is believed to be somewhere in the country or Pakistan.

- Reuters