Afghan Policeman Killed in Suicide Attack in Kunduz

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية

A suicide bomber killed an Afghan policeman and wounded five civilians in Kunduz on Thursday, the second deadly attack on government security forces in the northern city this week.

The attacker walked up to a checkpoint in a crowded area of the city center and blew up a suicide vest strapped to his body, officials and witnesses said.

Several of those wounded are thought to be shopkeepers working nearby.

The attack came four days after militants armed with guns and suicide vests attacked an army recruitment center in Kunduz, killing eight people in a day-long siege.

Experts warn that the Taliban insurgency is becoming increasingly active in northern Afghanistan, having expanded from its traditional powerbase in the south, where U.S.-led NATO troops are concentrating the fight to reverse their momentum.

When contacted by Agence France Presse, a Taliban spokesman could neither confirm nor deny responsibility for the attack.

"At around 8:00 am (0330 GMT), a man wearing a suicide vest walked up to a traffic post in the center of Kunduz city," the head of the local provincial council, Mahboobullah Mahboob, said.

"A guard tried to prevent him from entering the post, the suicide attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body.

"One traffic policeman was killed and five civilians were injured in the explosion."

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