U.S. Commander: Iran Supplying Taliban

An Afghan police officer runs near a civilian vehicle which caught on fire after a car bomb exploded on a convoy of French troops in western Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 21, 2007. A bomb attack Friday against the convoy of French troops killed one soldier and injured many Afghans near the blast, while heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan killed about 75 Taliban fighters and six civilians, officials said.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) (Rafiq Maqbool - AP)

Friday's bomb attack in western Kabul was directed against a convoy of French troops traveling in armored vehicles. It killed one soldier and an Afghan civilian and wounded many other Afghans, hospital and NATO officials said. The blast blew the windows out of a civilian bus and set at least one vehicle on fire.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned the attack as "cowardly and odious."

"More than ever, I remain determined to pursue the fight against terrorism," he said.

Heavy fighting in the south, meanwhile, killed about 75 Taliban militants in the last 48 hours, the U.S.-led coalition said.

On Wednesday, NATO launched a new operation in Helmand province, the world's largest poppy-growing region, which has seen the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan this year.

Airstrikes were called in against "anti-coalition militants" in the Garmsir district early Friday, killing about 40 fighters, the coalition said. Soldiers found more than 20 rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and land mines in the militants' compound, it said.

Six civilians, including women and children, died in a separate battle in Helmand province's Gereshk region on Wednesday after Taliban militants fled fighting with NATO forces and sought shelter in the civilians' homes, said Gereshk district chief Abdul Manaf Khan.

NATO said there were "a number" of civilian casualties caused by the fighting.

Taliban fighters attacked coalition forces from a housing compound that was later targeted in an airstrike. NATO said it was "unaware" civilians were in the area.

Civilians deaths from U.S. and NATO military action have become a major issue in Afghanistan this year. President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly pleaded with international forces to halt such casualties.

Afghan civilian deaths have declined since several incidents earlier in the summer. Wednesday's deaths appear to be the first since early August.

In another newly reported battle, more than three dozen Taliban fighters were reported killed in a clash Wednesday in Uruzgan province, the coalition said.

The spike in violence came as Afghans marked the U.N.-backed International Day of Peace on Friday. Marches and celebrations were held around the country, and U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards called the numbers of Afghans participating "remarkable."

"I think there are two very different stories going on here. One is about peace, one is about conflict," he said. "We've never seen anything like this (interest level) before."