Imagine if the initiative and resourcefulness put into inflicting wave after wave of slaughter in Islamic jihad were instead put into something constructive. But, alas, there are priorities: Allah promises paradise to those who “slay and are slain” in his cause (Qur’an 9:111).
“Bicycle bombers kill 4 and wound 31 in east Afghanistan,” by Rafiq Sherzad for Reuters, November 20:
MEHTAR LAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Taliban suicide bombers on bicycles killed four people and wounded 31 in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, the latest attacks to underscore the challenges NATO leaders face as they plan an exit from the war.
One bomber detonated his explosives at a police checkpoint in Mehtar Lam, the provincial capital of Laghman province, with the second striking several hundred meters away, Laghman Governor Mohammad Iqbal Azizi told Reuters.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came after a spike in violence over the past week and on the second day of a NATO summit in Lisbon. Leaders at the summit endorsed plans to start handing responsibility for security to Afghans next year and transfer control of the entire country by the end of 2014.
“We are not sure what the target of the second bomber was but we think he may have detonated his explosives prematurely,” Azizi said. Earlier reports said the attacks had taken place in neighboring Alisheng district.
Where is the outrage against the Taliban’s indiscriminate conduct in warfare?
All of the dead were civilians, Azizi said, and most of the victims had been riding in two motorized rickshaws, a common form of transport in rural areas that can carry many passengers.
Taj Mohammad, one of the rickshaw drivers, said he was on his way to the hospital when one of the bombs exploded.
“I had three female passengers and I was taking them to the hospital. When I was near to the hospital, I heard a huge bang. After that I did not know what happened, when I opened my eyes I was at the hospital,” Mohammad told Reuters.
Blood-stained sandals could be seen lying near the blast sites and the windows of nearby shops had been shattered by the explosions, a Reuters witness said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the hardline Islamist group had carried out the attack and that the target had been Afghan police and intelligence officials….