KHOST CITY (PAN): A second suicide bomber struck hours after four people, including a quick reaction force commander, were killed in a similar attack in the southeastern province of Khost on Saturday, an official said.
The assailant on foot targeted foreign troops in the Khalbasat area of Sabari district around noon, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. The soldiers escaped unhurt, the alliance added.
A security official, who confirmed the incident, said on condition of anonymity that the target was a joint Afghan-ISAF force. Only the assailant was killed in the blast, he added.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, named the bomber as Rafiullah. Five foreign troops were killed and several others injured in the suicide blast, he claimed.
Earlier in the day, quick reaction force commander, Col. Zahir, two policemen and a civilian were killed in a similar assault in the provincial capital, Khost City.
At least 23 people were injured, a doctor at the Khost Civil Hospital, Hidayatullah Hamidi, said. The blast took place when Col. Zahir was entering the provincial police headquarters, said Javed, the commander’s son.
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