more mass murder by Taliban

: Blast at dog fight kills 3, wounds 26
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Reuters – Afghan police keep watch at the site of a suicide car bombing which killed three Afghans on Thursday, … By NOOR KHAN, Associated Press Writer Noor Khan, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 17 mins ago
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – A motorcycle bomb struck a crowd watching a dog fight Friday in southern Afghanistan, killing at least three people and wounding more than two dozen others.

The blast on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, came as U.S. Marines and their NATO and Afghan allies are poised to launch a major offensive against the Taliban in the area.

The explosives-packed motorcycle was parked near the dog fight, according to deputy provincial police chief Kamal Uddin.

Health Department director Dr. Inayat Ullah Ghafari confirmed the casualty toll, saying seven children were among the 26 wounded.

Dog fighting was forbidden under the Taliban regime but has emerged as a popular pastime in many parts of Afghanistan after the hard-line Islamist movement was ousted in 2001.

Such competitions have been targeted in the past. More than 100 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a dog fight in the southern city of Kandahar.

No date has been set for the Helmand offensive to begin, but U.S. commanders have said they plan to capture the town of Marjah, 380 miles (610 kilometers)