Bomb blast hits NATO convoy in northern Afghanistan

Casualties are feared as a powerful roadside bomb explosion has targeted a NATO military convoy in the troubled northern Afghanistan, local and Western sources say.

The Western military alliance says an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped through a NATO military vehicle in Baghlan Province on Wednesday.

Several are said to have been hurt and transferred to a nearby hospital for necessary medical treatment.

Provincial police forces say the bomb had been planted by the Taliban militants. A regional spokesman for Taliban militants has also confirmed that the terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices are by far the most lethal weapons Taliban militants use against Afghan forces, foreign troops, and civilians.

According to the latest figures released by the website icasualties.org, 3,430 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led war began more than twelve years ago.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country, despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.

The US is now pushing the Afghan government to sign a security deal to allow US troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned that he will not allow continued foreign presence if it means more bombs and civilian killings.