AFGHAN SUICIDE CAR BOMBING KILLS 11 IN KHOST CITY

Afghan suicide car bombing

Kills 11 in Khost city

At least 11 people have been killed in a suicide car bombing in the eastern Afghan province of Khost, police say. The attack, which targeted a police checkpoint in a crowded area of Khost city, left many wounded.  Police became suspicious of a driver and opened fire prompting him to detonate his bomb The restive province, on the border with Pakistan, has long been a target for Taliban militants.

Police blamed the attack on Taliban militants who frequently target police checkpoints. A suicide and gun attack on the police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar on 12 February killed 19 people, including 15 policemen .Violence has been on the increase in Afghanistan where tens of thousands of foreign troops are based. Civilian and military casualties in Afghanistan are at levels not seen for a decade - last year more than 2,400 civilians died. Nato says that gains made by the Afghan and international troops are "tenuous and fragile" and warn that there will be an increase in bloodshed this year.

In 2009, Khost was the scene of one of the worst attacks on US intelligence when eight people were killed by a suicide bomber at a CIA base. (from BBC news)

Prof.John Kurakar