You see how much we need to criminalize criticism of Islam? If we did, Afghanistan would swiftly become indistinguishable from New Jersey. “Afghanistan Suicide Attack: Group Claims Revenge for Anti-Islamic Movie,” by Muhammad Lila for ABC News, September 18 (thanks to Mackie):
In one of the most deadly insurgent attacks here this year, a suicide bomber detonated a car filled with explosives on a main thoroughfare leading to Kabul’s airport, killing at least 13 people.
Most of the victims were South Africans, packed into a minivan on their way to work at the airport. The suicide bomber rammed into the minivan, creating a huge explosion whose shockwaves were felt in many parts of the city, according to eyewitnesses.
“The explosion was so powerful and loud that I could not hear anything for 10 minutes,” Abdullah Shah, a teacher who witnessed the attack, told The Associated Press.
A number of innocent bystanders were also hurt in the blast. The blast was so strong it sent the minivan flying at least 160 feet from its original location, according to police officials.
A militant group called Hezb-i-Islami (Party of Islam) claimed responsibility for the blast, calling it revenge for the offensive anti-Islam movie produced in the United States by a group of individuals with checkered pasts. The movie has set off a wave of deadly riots in many parts of the Muslim world, including Afghanistan, where hundreds of protesters have thrown rocks at police and set vehicles on fire.
Hezb-i-Islami, one of many insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan, says a 22-year-old female named Fatima carried out the attack. If true, it would be the first time ever that a female suicide bomber has driven a car bomb for an attack in Kabul.
Female suicide bombers are rare in Afghanistan, and female drivers are almost unheard of. Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry is conducting tests to determine whether the driver was a woman.
If only the Afghan police had been on the job, they’d have prevented this impertinent Western-influenced female from driving, and the 13 people would still be alive. But they were probably too busy plotting the murder of their American trainer.
Hezb-i-Islami itself is run by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a 65-year-old warlord, former prime minister and longtime U.S. ally who is now on the U.S. State Department’s terror list. The group is believed to have thousands of loyalists throughout the country, particularly among Tajiks and Uzbeks, longtime ethnic rivals of Afghanistan’s dominant Pashtun tribes.
Until recently, efforts had been made to draw the group into the peace process, including personal appears from Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai….