Afghans arrest two suspected suicide bombers

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Afghan security forces
arrested two suspected suicide bombers wearing vests packed
with explosives on Wednesday, hours after a grenade was thrown
at an Indian consulate, police said.

Dozens of people have been killed in a wave of bomb
attacks, including 13 suicide blasts, in Afghanistan over the
past few months, most in the restive south and east.

Police in the southern city of Kandahar said they had
received intelligence about suicide attacks and had set up a
checkpoint on a road about 25 km (15 miles) south of the city.

“We stopped two guys riding a motorbike, pointed guns at
them and ordered them not to move,” said Masood Khan, a
provincial police commander.

“They were wearing waist-coats full of explosives,” he
said.

Security forces had not established their identities, he
said.

The government blames Taliban fighters and their al Qaeda
allies for the blasts, saying the militants are intent on
scaring off NATO members who are due to expand peacekeeping
operations into the south in coming months.

The insurgents also want to unsettle Afghanistan’s
international backers who are due to meet at a conference in
London on January 31, officials say.

A grenade was thrown at the Indian mission in Kandahar from
a speeding vehicle on Tuesday night. No one was hurt, police
said.

India has good relations with the U.S.-backed government of
President Hamid Karzai.

Afghan officials and U.S. military commanders in
Afghanistan often criticize Pakistan for not doing more to stop
insurgents, although Pakistan rejects the criticism and has
deployed nearly 80,000 troops on the long and porous border.

Last week, Kandahar governor Assadullah Khalid accused
Pakistan of training and equipping Taliban suicide bombers.

Rallies and marches have been held in various parts of the
country to denounce the bombings, with many protesters accusing
Pakistan of helping the militants.

Hundreds of people protested against the bombings in the
central province of Dai Kundi and in the southern border town
of Spin Boldak on Wednesday, witnesses said.

A suicide bomber killed 23 people in Spin Boldak on January
16.

In the capital, Kabul, two grenades went off on Tuesday
night but no one was hurt, police said.

One exploded in front of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs
while the other went off later on a deserted shopping street.

Police said they did not know who was responsible.