Five killed in Afghanistan blast

Five people died today in a bomb blast on a bustling street in Herat, Afghanistan.

Five people died today in a bomb blast on a bustling street in Heart, Afghanistan.

Another 29 were injured by the explosion in the western city, deepening concern over security two days after Afghanistan set a date for its first free elections.

Afghan leader Hamid Karzai blamed unidentified enemies of peace and democracy for the blast, which occurred as UN and government officials watched a disarmament parade for militia soldiers across town.

Heart police said they had arrested one suspect, but it was unclear who was behind the latest attempt to mar preparations for presidential elections, which authorities announced Friday will take place October 9.

Police chief Ziauddin Mahmoudi said the time-bomb was hidden in a pile of rubbish near a building with shops on the ground floor and a police station upstairs.

Officials said the five dead included a 12-year-old boy. One police officer was among 29 others injured.

Dozens of wounded were brought to a city hospital. Four children with bandaged head wounds lay in one ward, two of them wearing oxygen masks.

Six people were in critical condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

A string of violent incidents has killed nearly 600 people across the country this year, including six election workers who died in recent shootings and bombings.

Heart had been spared such attacks, which officials routinely blame on Taliban-led insurgents active mainly in the south and east of Afghanistan. The rebels have vowed to sabotage the elections.

But Herat was shaken in March by a fierce burst of factional fighting that killed 16 people, including a Cabinet minister and a son of powerful Gov. Ismail Khan, and prompted Karzai to deploy government troops here.