Ten killed in car bomb in central Afghanistan
Ten people were killed and 31 others were injured in the central Wardak province during a car bomb explosion and armed clash between the Taliban attackers and government security forces on Sunday.
"We strongly condemn this attack," Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Wardak governor, told Anadolu Agency. He said a Taliban suicide attacker donated a mini-van full of explosives in front of the Afghan Intelligence office in Maidan Shahr, the capital of the province, at 1:15pm. The explosion damaged many of the government and civilian buildings in the area. "After the explosion, five other attackers on foot, who were armed with small and heavy weapons, tried to attack the governor house and other government offices," Khogyani said. "But all of them were shot dead by the guards of the Intelligence office," he added. The spokesman put the death toll at four intelligence employees and six Taliban fighters, adding that 31 people, including civil servants and civilians, were also injured. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, but alleged that "dozens" of government and foreign soldiers were killed. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, told AA that a group of their suicide attackers targeted the Intelligence office and the American Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
He also claimed that more than 30 tanks and military vehicles were damaged in the attack.
But Aslam Shaheen, an eyewitness, told AA he only saw a damaged mini-van.
"I was coming back from my university in Kabul. I was getting off the car when I heard a heavy explosion," he said by telephone.
"After that I heard a lot of firing," Shaheen added.
"Later I saw I damaged mini-van on the road."
The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 before being ousted by US-led forces, have recently stepped up their attacks on government and foreign force and their facilities.
The foreign forces are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
