Bike bomber who attacked Nato patrol in Afghanistan hid explosives under burka
A Taliban suicide bomber who struck a Nato patrol in Afghanistan, killing a service member and two civilians, had concealed his explosives beneath a woman's burka, a district governor said.
The attack in northern Takhar province on Thursday evening hit the patrol near Qarabagh, barely 18 miles (30km) north of the capital, Kabul.
It was the second suicide bombing in as many days targeting Nato.
On Wednesday, a suicide attacker hit a convoy on the edge of the southern city of Kandahar, killing two US soldiers and injuring another four. Both attacks were claimed by the Taliban.
Abdul Sami Sharifi, the district governor in Qarabagh, said the attacker in Thursday's bombing was riding a motorcycle and rammed his bike into a Nato patrol, setting off his explosives.
The US military confirmed that a service member was killed but did not reveal the soldier's nationality. US Navy Captain Bill Salvin, a military spokesman, said six service members were wounded, including an Afghan translator.
The casualties were all in a stable condition and being treated in the US military hospital at the Bagram airfield north of Kabul, Capt Salvin said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the Associated Press over the phone on Friday that one of its fighters from Takhar province carried out the attack at 8pm on Thursday local time. He said 11 Americans were killed, but the insurgents routinely exaggerate their claims.
Meanwhile, in southern Helmand province, the Taliban stormed a market in the Gareshk district on Friday and opened fire on a nearby police station, according to district police chief Ismail Khan Khopalwaq. The market was closed because of the Muslim weekend and no casualties were reported in the attack.
On Thursday, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a police outpost in Gareshk, killing two policemen and wounding another two.
The district has been the scene of heavy fighting in recent weeks between Afghan security forces, backed by US air support, and the Taliban, who now control roughly 80% of Helmand province.
Gareshk district is also where the Pentagon confirmed that an errant US bomb destroyed a police outpost last month, killing 12 officers and injuring another 11. The incident is still under investigation and a joint USand Afghan delegation earlier visited the area.
AP
