Villagers look on as a crane hoists away the wreckage of a civilian bus, which was hit by a remote-controlled bomb, in the Paghman district of Kabul, Tuesday. — ReutersKABUL — A remote-controlled bomb struck a bus just traveling northwest of the Afghan capital Tuesday morning, killing at least nine passengers, police said. The militant who set off the device was spotted running away from the scene and was captured by local villagers. The bomb was placed under a bridge and was detonated when the bus drove over the span, said Mohammad Zahir, the criminal director for Kabul police. Broken glass and abandoned shoes of victims littered the road near the bus, which was flipped onto its side at the site of the explosion in Paghman district of Kabul province. At least three other people were wounded in the blast, which went off at around 7 A.M. as Afghans were making their way to work. “The person who pushed the button on the remote-controlled bomb was captured by villagers who saw him running," said Abdul Razaq, an Afghan police official in the Kabul area. Initial reports said the bus was ferrying government employees to an Afghan ministry, but those reports could not be confirmed. Police speculated that the bomber might have tried to target a bus full of government workers but blew up a civilian bus by mistake. Paghman district police chief Col. Amrullah said the explosion killed nine people, including two who were rushed to a local hospital but died within hours. He said three others were wounded. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Amrullah blamed insurgents affiliated with the Taliban. Like many Afghans, he uses just one name. “It was planted by the enemy of the country," Amrullah said of the bomb. He said that police had seized the remote control from the man who was captured.— AP
