Suicide bomber strikes in Farah City

FARAH PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

11.20.2009

Story by 2nd Lt. Karl Wiest 

Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah

FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — A suicide bomb exploded inside Farah City killing 16 local Afghans and wounding 34 more this morning.

The bomb exploded approximately 50 yards from the house of the Farah Provincial Governor, Rahool Amin, on a busy street filled with shops and people, many of them children, at around 9 a.m.

"All the dead are civilians. All the dead are Muslims. All the dead are mothers and fathers or sons and daughters," said Amin. "If anyone sees anything suspicious, they need to speak up and tell someone so we can prevent anything tragic like this from ever happening again."

The victims of the bombing were treated at either Farah City Hospital or by the International Security Assistance Force medical teams located at Forward Operating Base Farah.

In a truly joint response to the tragic bombing, members of the Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team, the 82nd Airborne, Italian Special Forces, Italian Task Force South and civilians contractors immediately ran to the triage area and entry control points of FOB Farah to offer the doctors and medics any assistance needed to help the victims of the attack.

Four Life or Limb Saving Surgeries and nine Life Saving Intervention procedures were performed as the doctors from the Forward Surgical Team, the PRT, Italian Task Force South, the 4-73 Cavalry of the 82nd Airborne Division, and the Special Forces division huddled over patients giving urgent medical care to save as many lives as possible.

Eight victims on FOB Farah were unable to be saved by the ISAF team and were later transported to the morgue inside Farah City.

Several other patients were also transported to the Farah City Hospital for extended care after being treated and stabilized by the medical staff at FOB Farah.

• Date Taken: 11.20.2009
• Date Posted: 11.21.2009 02:00
• Story ID: 41849
• Location: FARAH PROVINCE, AF