Kabul hit by another bomber

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A suicide car bomber bloodied the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, for a second day in a row Wednesday, this time killing at least 13 people and wounding a dozen.

The back-to-back attacks -- the first one Tuesday claimed at least two lives and injured 20 people -- coincide with a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The BBC reported the latest bomber drove a small car close to a bus carrying Afghan soldiers during morning rush hour and detonated his deadly cargo. The Defense Ministry said the blast killed six soldiers and seven civilians, the British network said.

The earlier attack, involving an explosives-packed van, apparently targeted a NATO convoy close to the Kabul airport but the victims were all reported to be Afghans.

Gates, who is in Kabul assessing the rising violence in Afghanistan and meeting with President Hamid Karzai, blamed the increase, in part, on an offensive against Taliban militants by international troops, the BBC said.