JALALABAD, Afghanistan – A landmine exploded on a stretch of road in eastern Afghanistan just minutes after a convoy from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had passed by, Afghan police said Friday. There were no injuries.
An investigation was underway to determine whether the BBC convoy was the target of Thursday's explosion, said Yar Mohammed, Afghan security chief in the region.
Police arrested nine men in connection with the powerful blast, which occurred about nine miles from Tora Bora -- the mountainous region that came under heavy bombing in December 2001.
Mohammed said the convoy of five vehicles was enroute to Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, when the land mine exploded. It was not clear whether it was exploded by remote control.
Babrak Mian Khel, a BBC employee in Jalalabad, said his convoy was returning from Tora Bora where they had taken some footage when the explosion occurred. He said no one was injured and he refused to speculate on whether the BBC was the intended target.
"The explosion was very intense," said Mohammed. "It is very lucky that there were no injuries."
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