Homicide Bomber Detonates in Afghanistan

This must be the spring offensive the Taliban was promising. Mysterious Muslim men suddenly exploding.

KABUL, Afghanistan — A homicide bomber detonated himself in a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least eight people and wounding 35, officials said. Witnesses said a U.S. convoy may have been targeted.

The attack in the city of Gardez damaged about a dozen shops, said provincial deputy chief of police Ghulam Dastagir. At least seven of the wounded were in critical condition, he said.

Eight people were killed and 35 injured, said Gov. Rahmatullah Rahmat.

Maj. William Mitchell, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said there were initial reports of injuries to ISAF soldiers, though he didn't have further details. The American military is responsible for eastern Afghanistan.

Nasar Ahmad, a 30-year-old shopkeeper whose three cousins were seriously injured in the blast, said he saw a U.S. convoy driving through the city just before the explosion.

"I heard a strong blast and then saw a fireball go up," Ahmad said from Gardez' hospital. "For 10 minutes I couldn't hear and I didn't know where I was. I saw a lot of people injured lying in the street."