8 Dead, 30 Wounded in Afghan Suicide Car Bombing

Eight people including a policeman were killed and 30 others wounded Friday in a suicide car bomb attack on a police post in Khost, eastern Afghanistan, police said.

The incident, which was blamed on the Taliban, is the latest to target Afghan police who, with the country's army, are due to take control of security from international troops by 2014.

"The attacker used a Toyota van to attack a police post in Khost city," local police chief Abdul Hakim Eshaqzai told Agence France Presse.

"The most recent toll that I have received from the explosion site and hospitals is eight dead and 30 people injured including women and children."

He added that local hospitals had been "overwhelmed" by the influx of wounded people and warned: "The casualty toll will possibly increase."

The police chief blamed the attack on "the enemies of the people and government of Afghanistan."

That phrase is often used by Afghan officials to refer to the Taliban, who have been battling international forces in Afghanistan since being ousted from power in 2001.

An AFP reporter at the blast site said the road was covered in blood and body parts, while windows nearby had been shattered.

Pieces of human flesh were scattered as far as 50 meters from the explosion's location, indicating the blast was a strong one, the reporter said.

The Taliban frequently target Afghan police in their campaign against President Hamid Karzai's Western-backed government.