Explosions rock Pak capital

ISLAMABAD, NOV 12: At least seven blasts hit Pakistan's capital Islamabad today near US and United Nations offices and police said they a...

ISLAMABAD, NOV 12: At least seven blasts hit Pakistan8217;s capital Islamabad today near US and United Nations offices and police said they also seized a burned-out vehicle with a twin-barrel rocket launcher near the US embassy.

The blasts came two days before UN sanctions backed by the United States were to go into effect against Afghanistan8217;s ruling Taliban for not surrendering terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden.

The imminent sanctions have already caused protests in Afghanistan, where the UN office in Kandahar was stoned during a demonstration by 50,000 people on Wednesday.

The sanctions ordered by the UN Security Council are to go into affect on Sunday unless the Taliban hands over bin Laden, wanted in the United States on charges of masterminding bomb attacks on two US embassies in Africa in 1998 which killed more than 200 people.

At least six people were wounded, police said.

8220;These are rockets fired from cars by unidentified people who have managed to flee,quot; said Mohammed Ali Khan, a senior city official.

Witnesses said they saw a rocket launcher inside the flaming car near the Cultural Centre, and several witnesses reported seeing rockets fired right before the blasts occurred

The car burning near the embassy was a UN vehicle.

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8220;I saw the car jump five to 10 yards after the blast, but luckily no one was close to it,quot; said Anjum Ahmed, who was near the US embassy at the time of the blast near there.

At least three of the wounded were hit outside the US information services cultural centre, known as the American centre. It was unclear where the other wounded people suffered their injuries.

One blast was near a US government office and the others were close to United Nations buildings and a UN vehicle.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the blasts near the embassy, the UN office, near a branch of the US-based Citibank, or a fourth explosion near the city8217;s World Bank building.

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The explosions all hit within a two-minute span and within several kilometres of each other in the downtown area.

A student who identified himself only as Hussain said he was inside the library at the American centre when he heard an explosion. He said he and dozens of other people rushed outside to see what had happened.

Outside the US embassy, hundreds of people gathered to watch as the UN car burned.

At both spots, police and paramilitary troops massed and set up barricades. They pushed curious onlookers away from the scene, warning them of the possibility of more explosions.