NATO: Taliban killed 40; insurgents deny it

NATO and the Afghan government on Thursday blamed a Taliban suicide bomber for the grisly scene at a wedding party where at least 40 people were killed by a large explosion. But the Taliban said they played no role in the blast in the Arghandab district, an insurgent stronghold near the southern city of Kandahar.

Stunned survivors said they suspected a NATO airstrike was responsible, a view that reflects either their deep suspicion of the U.S.-led coalition or fear of Taliban retribution.

Regardless of responsibility, Wednesday night's attack is likely to heighten public concern about a planned NATO military operation in the Kandahar area, the birthplace of the Taliban considered by U.S. commanders as the key to turning back the insurgents.

The top U.S. and NATO commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, acknowledged Thursday that the Kandahar operation will take longer than planned because local Afghans do not yet support it.

Interior Ministry spokes-man Zemeri Bashary said the attack occurred when a suicide bomber entered a rural home where men were celebrating the wedding. The groom was among the 74 wounded. Female guests were in a separate house with the bride.

"This is a crime of massive inhuman proportions against civilians," President Hamid Karzai told a news conference in Kabul.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi denied the insurgents carried out the attack, which occurred in a district where the Taliban remain entrenched despite years of NATO operations.

Nevertheless, suspicion fell on the insurgents because the family included a number of Afghan policemen, who are often targeted by the Taliban. The groom's brother and two cousins were in the police force, according to another cousin.

Kandahar provincial Gov. Tooryalai Wesa said doctors had recovered ball bearings from the corpses. Militants often pack ball bearings and other metal into suicide vests to kill more victims.

"The Taliban are doing two things at once," Wesa told reporters. "On one side they target people who are in favor of the government. Then at the same time, they don't want people to know their real face."

In this farming village of mud-walled compounds, survivors said they were skeptical that the blast was caused by a suicide bomber because damage was so extensive. The wall around the compound where the attack occurred was mostly flattened. Blood, and body parts - some in the trees - were scattered across the area.

US toll in Afghanistan

• Deaths: 1,009 • Wounded: 6,231

Latest Identifications

• Staff Sgt. Michael P. Flores, 31, of San Antonio, Texas; and

• Senior Airman Benjamin D. White, 24, of Erwin, Tenn., assigned to the 48th Rescue Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

• 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz, 25, of Grass Lake, Mich., assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

• Staff Sgt. David C. Smith, 26, of Eight Mile, Ala., assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base.

SOURCE: Department of Defense