(17 Jun 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of blast site
2. Mid of French soldiers at the site
3. Various of damaged vehicles being moved from the site
4. Various of Kabul municipality workers cleaning the street
5. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Ali Shah Paktiawal, Kabul police director of criminal investigation:
"Our investigations will find out if it was a bomb blast or suicide attack. The death toll from police and civilians are 35 dead and we don't have any exact information about the number of wounded people."
6. Various of crowd of people walking
Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital, Kabul
7. Wide of wounded in hospital
8. Doctor preparing to give injection
9. Injured (Japanese) person with oxygen mask over mouth
10. Wide of patient and doctor looking at drip
11. Close-up patient's hand
12. Wide of hospital exterior
STORYLINE
An bomb ripped through a police academy bus at Kabul's busiest transportation hub on Sunday, killing at least 35 people in the deadliest insurgent attack in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
The thunderous explosion, which sheared the metal sidings and roof off the bus, represented a massive leap in scale from previous Taliban or al-Qaida bombings in the country, raising the spectre of an increase in Iraq-style attacks in Afghanistan.
At least 35 people were killed, including 22 policemen, said Ahmed Zia Aftali, head of Kabul's military hospital. At least 35 others were wounded, hospital officials said.
One of those wounded said the bus had been filled with police instructors.
Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said a suicide bomber named Mullah Asim Abdul Rahman caused the blast.
Rahman, 23, a Taliban member was from Kabul province, said Ahmadi, who called an Associated Press reporter by satellite phone from an undisclosed location. His claim could not be verified.
If confirmed, it would be the fifth suicide attack in Afghanistan in three days.
Unidentifiable body parts littered the blast site as far as 30 metres (32 yards) from the bus.
Hundreds of police and investigators inspected the scene, with some pulling bodies from the wreckage.
They ordered civilians to leave the area , an outdoor bus station normally teeming with people.
Despite the Taliban claim, officials were trying to determine if the explosion, which went off in the front of the bus, was caused by a suicide attacker or a bomb that had been planted.
"Our investigations will find out if it was a bomb blast or suicide attack. The death toll from police and civilians are 35 dead and we don't have any exact information about the number of wounded people," Kabul police director of criminal investigation, Ali Shah Paktiawal, said on Sunday.
A civilian bus also damaged in the blast had been driving just in front of the police vehicle. A police officer at the scene said the position of that bus was likely to have prevented other civilian casualties.
Afghan government officials, police and army soldiers are commonly targeted by insurgents trying to bring down the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
A police and army force that can provide security around the country on its own is essential to the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) strategy of eventually handing over security responsibilities to the Afghan government.
Buses carrying Afghan police and army soldiers have been targeted before.
At least 307 Afghan police, army or intelligence personnel have been killed in violence so far this year through June 15, according to an AP tally of figures from the US, UN, NATO and Afghan authorities.
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