Suicide Bomber Targets Government Compound Near Kabul

A Taliban suicide car bombing on the outskirts of the Afghan capital has left at least one senior police officer dead.

Afghan police said the bomber targeted a regional government compound in Paghman, a town just west of Kabul, on September 16.

There were conflicting reports on casualties.

The dpa news agency quoted Afghan police as saying one senior police officer had been killed in the attack, with a dozen more people wounded, mainly civilians.

The AFP news agency quoted police as putting the death toll at four and the number of wounded at 41.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Violence has spiked in Afghanistan since the Taliban launched a spring offensive in April.

Nearly 1,600 civilians were killed and more than 3,300 injured in Afghanistan in the first half of this year, according to UN figures.

NATO ended its combat mission in Afghanistan last December and pulled out the bulk of its troops, although a 13,000-strong force remains there for training and counter-terrorism operations.

Based on reporting by dpa and AFP

Source http://www.rferl.mobi/a/27251753.html