Afghanistan: August 9, 2002

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 About a ton of explosives went off in a Jalalabad construction company warehouse. Some 30 people died. At first if was thought that the explosion was caused by Taliban or al Qaeda action. But further investigation showed that the explosives were improperly stored and detonated because of that. Most of the gunfire and explosions heard in Afghan cities turns out to be caused by criminal activity, not terrorist attacks. The gangs are much more of a problem than al Qaeda or Taliban renegades, and many of the shootouts between American troops and Afghans are encounters with criminals.

 

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