Blast Near U.S. Embassy in Kabul Kills 3

KABUL, Afghanistan — A huge explosion near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul killed at least three people today, including at least two coalition soldiers, witnesses said.

The blast tore a military vehicle into two burning chunks, scattering debris and body parts.

U.S. soldiers and heavily armed American security forces cordoned off the area.

Early reports on the attack were sketchy and conflicting. The exact number of dead and the source of the explosion were not clear, and the nationalities of the slain coalition soldiers were not known. Some reports cited a car bomb.

Witnesses said they saw at least four bodies they presumed were dead, and Al Jazeera television reported that at least three American soldiers had been killed.

The explosion occurred at a major intersection less than 100 yards from the heavily fortified embassy.

The blast came one day after NATO’s top commander of operations, U.S. Marine Gen. James L. Jones, acknowledged that the alliance had underestimated the level of violence in southern Afghanistan and urged allies to provide reinforcements.

But he described the request as an “insurance package” and denied that the alliance was overstretched there.