At least 10 casualties in suicide bombing on Afghan bus

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A suicide bomber blew himself up in the entrance to a bus carrying Afghan police and civilians in Kabul Tuesday morning, killing and wounding at least 10 people, according to authorities.

Soldiers challenged the bomber as he attempted to board the bus and then shot him, witnesses said. The explosives the bomber was wearing then went off.

Ahmad Saqi, a 20-year-old mechanic, told The Associated Press he helped put seven people in vehicles to be taken to the hospital, and that some of the victims' legs had been blown off. He said he saw at least four dead children.

"One woman was holding a baby in her arms, and they were both killed," Saqi told the AP. "Half of the woman's face was blown off." See an I-Reporter's images of the aftermath »

Another witness, Amin Gul, told the AP the bomber was wearing a shawl called a chador around the upper half of his body.

"When the bus came, an old man got on, then a woman with two children, then the guy wearing the chador entered, and then a big boom," Gul told the AP.

It was the second such attack in four days. On Saturday, a suicide bomber killed 30 people and wounded 30 more after trying to board an Afghan national army bus in the capital.

Maj. Gen. Garry Robison, acting commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, condemned the bombings and offered condolences for the security forces who were targeted in both attacks.

"On Saturday, our comrades in the Afghan National Army were struck down by violence perpetuated by extremists in the nation's capital. Today, we mourn the loss of Afghan National Police officers who have also given their lives supporting the civilian population," Robison said.

A coalition soldier was killed by small-arms fire Tuesday during combat in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, the U.S.-led coalition said. Three other soldiers were wounded. Their nationalities were not made available.

Also Tuesday, a man was killed and a child was wounded in southern Afghanistan when a weapons system in a NATO International Security Assistance Force patrol accidentally discharged, a coalition statement said.

"This incident is deeply regrettable," said ISAF Region Command South spokesman Antony McCord. "ISAF will thoroughly investigate the circumstances."

"ISAF troops immediately secured the scene, medical assistance was requested and the casualties were transported to a local hospital," the ISAF statement said. "At the hospital one of the two injured, a 35 year old male, was confirmed dead; the other casualty is an 8-year-old child."

Meanwhile, a new U.S. "most-wanted" campaign is offering up to $200,000 for information on a dozen elusive Taliban and al Qaeda leaders accused of fueling a rise in bombings and suicide attacks in Afghanistan.

To help track down the 12 insurgent commanders, posters and billboards are to go up around eastern Afghanistan with their names and pictures. Rewards ranging from $20,000 to $200,000 are available for information leading to their capture.

"We're trying to get more visibility on these guys like the FBI did with the mob," said Lt. Col. Rob Pollock, an officer at the main U.S. base in Bagram. "They operate the same way the mob did, they stay in hiding."

The list does not include internationally known names who already have a large price on their heads, such as al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden -- who has evaded U.S. capture since 2001 despite a $25 million bounty -- or Taliban leader Mullah Omar, whose capture could bring a $10 million reward. E-mail to a friend

Journalist Tom Coghlan contributed to this report.

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