A suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives near a busy market and a mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing 89 people and wounding more than 40 in one of the deadliest attacks since the 2001 US-led invasion. The attack in the town of Urgun in Paktika province brutally underscored the country's instability as foreign troops prepare to leave by the end of the year and feuding politicians in Kabul work to form a new government after a disputed presidential election. Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Defense Ministry spokesman, said the bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle as he drove by the crowded market in the remote town in Urgun district, close to the border with Pakistan. The military was providing helicopters and ambulances to transport the victims to the provincial capital, Sharan, and so far 42 wounded have been moved to hospitals there, he said, adding that the explosion destroyed more than 20 shops and dozens of vehicles. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The bombing was also the first major attack since the US-brokerd weekend deal between the two Afghan presidential contenders. One of the two, former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, told The Associated Press on Monday that he would meet his rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, on Tuesday to begin working out the framework for the next government, with participation from both camps and all ethnic and religious communities. But the election and the weekend deal between the two rivals have had no visible impact on the security situation in the country, which sees near-daily attacks. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/106325.aspx
