Roadside bomb defused in Baghlan

Security officials say that overnight on January 23-24 they defused a roadside bomb in the northern province of Baghlan. The police chief of the 5th district, Mohammad Kamin, said the bomb had probably been planted to target the Provincial Reconstruction Team, PRT, which in this province is led by troops from the Netherlands. Kamin blamed enemies of the government and country for planting the bomb, but said no one had been arrested so far. A representative of the PRT said Dutch troops cordoned off the area after they learning of the bomb. "We are here to maintain security, not to defuse bombs,” he said.