Incident Summary:
12/24/2009: On Thursday evening at 1915, in Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan, a suicide bomber with a horse and cart detonated an improvised explosive device outside the Kandahar Provincial Health Ministry directorate and the Continental guesthouse. The Continental guesthouse is sometimes used by foreign journalists. The suicide bomber detonated explosives on his body and in his cart after being ordered by police to stop. Eight civilians were killed and two civilians and one police officer were wounded. Five of the victims were killed while sitting in a nearby car. Windows in buildings on both sides of the road were blown out, and nearby walls were partially damaged. No group claimed responsibility.
Overview
GTD ID:
200912240027
When:
2009-12-24
Country:
Afghanistan
Region:
South Asia
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Kandahar
City:
Kandahar
Location Details:
The atack occurred outside the Continental guesthouse and the Kandahar Provincial Health Ministry in Kandahar.
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Business |
Name of Entity |
The Continental Guesthouse |
Specific Description |
The Continental Guesthouse |
Nationality of Target |
Afghanistan |
Target Type: Government (General) |
Name of Entity |
Kandahar Provincial Health Ministry |
Specific Description |
The Kandahar Provincial Health Ministry directorate was targeted. |
Nationality of Target |
Afghanistan |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Minor (likely < $1 million) |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Suicide (carried bodily by human being) |
Explosives |
Other Explosive Type |
Weapon Details |
A suicide vest was used in the attack. A cart filled with improvised explosive device was also used in the attack. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | Yes |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
The available sources listed the fatalities for this attack from eight to nine, and the injuries for this attack from two to three to five, and because no majority figures were reported, the lowest proferred casualty figures were used in order to preserve statistical accuracy in the database. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Unknown |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
1 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
9 Fatalities / 3 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
9 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
1 |
Total Number of Injured |
3 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Jane’s Intelligence, “SVBIED Attack Kills Eight Civilians in Afghanistan's Kandahar,” Terrorism Watch Report, December 29, 2009. |
National Counterterrorism Center, "Eight Civilians, One Police Officer Killed, Two Civilians, One Police Officer Wounded in Suicide IED Attack in Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan," Worldwide Incidents Tracking System, April 28, 2010. |
Agence France Presse, "Suicide Bomber in Southern Afghanistan Kills Eight," LexisNexis Academic, Agence France Presse, December 24, 2009. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties