Suicide bomb kills Afghan children, foreign soldier

KABUL, June 15 (Reuters) Suicide bombers attacked foreign troops in central and southern Afghanistan today, killing five children and a NATO soldier in a day of renewed bloodshed.

Another foreign soldier, belonging to a US-coalition force, was also killed in combat in eastern Paktika province today, as violence flared in areas where Taliban guerrillas were waging an insurgency against the government and its foreign allies.

In the first suicide attack, a bomber rammed his car into a convoy of NATO troops in Tirin Kot, capital of the central province of Uruzgan, killing five children playing nearby, said a provincial government official, Mohammad Nabi.

Four adult civilians were also killed and seven wounded, added local police chief Mohammad Qasim added.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed one of its soldiers had been killed in the attack and three others wounded. It did not identify the dead soldier.

''A significant number of civilians, including women and children, were also killed and wounded during the incident,'' said ISAF spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Maria Carl.

''This is another example of how the tactics of the enemies of peace and stability are tearing apart the lives of Afghans and preventing the international community from bringing reconstruction and development in areas that desperately need our assistance.'' A second suicide bomber attacked a foreign troop convoy in the southern Kandahar city, wounding at least five civilians, a police official said. A man with explosives strapped to his body approached the convoy and blew himself up, an eyewitness added.

ISAF and US-led coalition forces later said their troops had not been involved in the Kandahar incident. ISAF referred inquiries to Afghanistan's ministry of defence, but a ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

A US military spokesman said the soldier killed in Paktika province had died from wounds sustained in combat. He declined to give any details or the nationality or name of the soldier.

Also today, a Dutch aid group said two of its Afghan staff, a doctor and a driver, had been kidnapped for a 100,000 dollars ransom in eastern Nangarhar province while they were returning from a vaccination field trip on Wednesday.

The kidnappers have threatened to behead the two men, said Geert Leerink, Asia operations director for HealthNet TPO, which is providing health care across Afghanistan.

''It's not clear who is the (kidnapping) group, if it is Taliban or a local tribal group,'' Leerink said. ''Community leaders of the area are trying to solve the problem because they know the group.'' REUTERS RS VC2045