Separately, a car bomb targeted a U.S. patrol, wounding three civilians. Police say no U.S. troops were injured.
In Kandahar, police say two Taliban fighters on a motorcycle threw hand grenades into the compound of the Indian Consulate. No injuries were reported.
NATO says direct clashes with Taliban fighters have decreased since the end of a NATO offensive in southern Afghanistan last month. But suicide and roadside bomb attacks are on the rise -- along with attacks targeting local Afghan officials.
(AP, Reuters, AFP)
The Afghan Insurgency
A U.S. military vehicle damaged by insurgents near Kandahar (epa)
HOMEGROWN OR IMPORTED? As attacks against Afghan and international forces continue relentlessly, RFE/RL hosted a briefing to discuss the nature of the Afghan insurgency. The discussion featured Marvin Weinbaum, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and RFE/RL Afghanistan analyst Amin Tarzi.
LISTEN
Listen to the entire briefing (about 83 minutes):Real Audio Windows Media