Afghan army officer killed in Herat blast

HERAT CITY (PAN): Two Afghan National Army (ANA) officers were killed and three others wounded in a roadside bombing in western Herat province, an official said on Sunday.

The blast ripped through a patrol of soldiers in Oba district late on Saturday, Col. Najibullah Najibi, the 207th Zafar Military Corps spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The dead included Maj. Abdul Latif, the operation commander, and Syed Ismail, an officer of the Zafar Military Corps, he said, adding another three troops who suffered injuries were reported to be in stable condition.

Meanwhile, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with their spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, saying eight soldiers had been killed and their vehicle destroyed.

mrh/ma/mud