Afghan Guerrilla Rocket Kills 20, Wounds 45 in Crowded Kabul Market

KABUL, Afghanistan —  An Afghan rebel rocket crashed into a crowded Kabul market Saturday, killing 20 people and wounding 45, the government said.

The market blast came a day after the rebels staged their heaviest attack on the Afghan capital in weeks, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens more with a fusillade of rockets fired from the mountains ringing Kabul. Two days earlier, at least 12 people were killed and 17 were injured when the rebels rained rockets on the city and a military truck exploded.

International relief workers estimate that 40,000 people leave Kabul every month, mostly to escape the rocket attacks which have intensified over the past three months.