Taliban truck bomb wounds 77 US soldiers

KABUL, Afghanistan (KABC) -- A potent Taliban truck bomb wounded 77 American soldiers and killed five Afghans outside a combat outpost on the eve of the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

No U.S. troops were killed in the attack and none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening.

The massive bomb loaded on a truck filled with firewood struck the gate of a combat post in Wardak province.

Officials said the Afghans killed included a policeman and four civilians, including a 3-year-old girl. Another 17 Afghans - 14 civilians and three policemen - were wounded. The provincial governor said the blast was so powerful it damaged about 100 nearby shops.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, they had issued a statement vowing to fight until all foreign troops leave.

The radical Islamic movement, which gave shelter to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida when it ruled Afghanistan, also stressed that it had no role in the Sept. 11 attacks, and it accused the U.S. of using them as a pretext to invade the country.

"The Afghans have an endless stamina for a long war," the statement said. "Through a countrywide uprising, the Afghans will send the Americans to the dustbin of history like they sent other empires of the past."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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