Suicide bomber strikes at Afghan-Pakistan border
KABUL — A suicide bomber wearing a burqa killed a police officer and a girl in an attack on a key Afghan-Pakistan border crossing Tuesday, a day after U.S. coalition airstrikes killed more than a dozen militants, officials said.
The bomber, who had crossed from Pakistan, detonated the blast at the busy Torkham crossing in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, said Abdul Hadi, a border police officer. Ten other people were wounded.
Torkham is one of the main international border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, leading east into Pakistan’s famed Khyber Pass and west toward the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Hadi said the bomber was dressed in an all-covering burqa commonly worn by women in the region and set the blast off in a room, about 30 yards (meters) inside Afghanistan, where women are searched before they are allowed to pass the border control.
A police officer and a 12-year-old girl were killed, he said. The wounded included seven civilians and three police officers.
The Taliban militants regularly launch suicide bombings targeting Afghan and foreign security forces, but civilians are often among the victims.
Separately, the U.S.-led coalition launched airstrikes Monday that killed more than a dozen insurgents and destroyed two militant command bunkers in eastern Khost province, the coalition said in a statement.
It is impossible to confirm the casualty numbers because access to the remote, dangerous area is restricted.
The strikes targeted insurgents linked to militant leader Siraj Haqqani, whose network is the most powerful in eastern Afghanistan, the Tuesday statement said. U.S. and Afghan officials believe Siraj commands his operations from Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Those targeted were involved in the movement of foreign fighters in Afghanistan, it said. The porous border with Pakistan is their a major transit route into the country.
The Obama administration has declared eliminating militant havens in Pakistan vital to its goals of defeating al-Qaida and winning the war in Afghanistan.
In southern Afghanistan, Afghan and foreign troops clashed and called in airstrikes on militants in Zabul province’s Daychopan district Monday, killing and wounding 15 militants, said provincial police chief Abdul Rehman Sarjang.
Militants also ambushed a convoy ferrying supplies for foreign troops in Uruzgan province Monday, sparking a firefight that killed eight militants and left two policemen wounded, said provincial police chief Juma Gul Himat.
Two of the trucks were destroyed and police recovered the bodies of the dead militants, Himat said.
An increase in violence in southern Afghanistan coincides with the arrival of thousands of new U.S. troops, part of a military surge aimed at reversing the Taliban’s gains of the last three years.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 and were ousted from power following a U.S.-led invasion.
In recent years, the group has made a violent comeback, wreaking havoc in much of the country’s south and east forcing the United States to pour in thousands more troops.
Associated Press reporters Fisnik Abrashi in Kabul and Noor Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.
Related News
Suicide car bomber targets police station in NW Pakistan, killing at least 2, wounding dozensSeptember 25th, 2009 Suicide attack on police kills 2 in NW PakistanPESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a police station in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least two people and wounding 40 others just days after a militant spokesman warned of more attacks. The massive bombing destroyed the police station in Bannu district and most of those hurt were policemen, said police chief Mohammed Farid.
Attack on American patrol kills 2 Afghans, wounds 21; no reports of US deathsAugust 29th, 2009 Attack on American patrol kills 2 AfghansKABUL — Officials say two Afghan civilians were killed and 21 wounded when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near a group of American troops. U.S. military spokeswoman Lt.
Police: Suicide bomber hits Pakistani checkpoint near Afghan border, killing at least 18August 27th, 2009 Pakistan suicide bomber hits checkpoint; 18 deadPESHAWAR, Pakistan — Police say a suicide bomber has attacked a Pakistani security checkpoint on the Afghan border. At least 18 people are reported dead.
Suicide bombing in Pakistani city of Peshawar kills 3, wounds at least 15August 23rd, 2009 Suicide bomb in Pakistani city of Peshawar kills 3PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Authorities say a suicide bombing on the outskirts in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed three people and wounded 15 others. Peshawar police Chief Safwat Ghayur says the suicide bomber also died in Sunday's attack.
Suicide bomb outside Afghan army base kills 1 soldier, wounds 4, including civiliansAugust 14th, 2009 Suicide attack kills 1 Afghan soldier in the southKANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber attacked an Afghan army base in southern Afghanistan on Friday, killing a soldier and wounding four other people, an official said. The bomber rammed his vehicle into the base's gate in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, said Daud Ahmadi, the provincial governor's spokesman.
Iraq: Suicide bomber kills 7 at checkpoint in Anbar provinceJuly 15th, 2009 Suicide bomber kills 7 in Iraq's Anbar provinceBAGHDAD — A suicide bomber has killed seven people in an attack on security forces in Iraq's Anbar province. Two police officials in Baghdad say the suicide bomber, who was driving a minibus, attacked a checkpoint of Iraqi soldiers and police officers at about 8 a.m.
Suicide bomber attacks troop convoy in central Afghanistan, 2 civilians killedJune 23rd, 2009 Suicide bomber kills 2 civilians in AfghanistanKABUL — A suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of international troops in central Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing two Afghan civilians, officials said. The driver of the car rammed into the convoy on a highway in Ghazni province about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) west of Ghazni city, said Ismail Jahangir, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
Major bombings in Iraq since Jan. 1 when new US-Iraqi security pact took effectJune 20th, 2009 Major bombings in Iraq since Jan. 1Deadliest bombings in Iraq since Jan.
Recent major attacks in Pakistan or blamed on Pakistan-based militantsJune 9th, 2009 Recent attacks in or linked to PakistanA look at some recent major attacks in Pakistan or blamed on Pakistan-based militants:
— Oct. 12, 2009: A suicide car bomb explodes near an army vehicle in a market in the northwest Shangla district, killing 41, including six security officers, and wounding 45.
Suicide attack in Afghanistan kills policemanMay 14th, 2009 KABUL - A suicide bomber attacked a police station in the southern province of Kandahar Thursday, killing one policeman and wounding four, a police commander said. The attack, the third in as many days in the war-torn country, took place Thursday morning in Spin Boldak district close to border with Pakistan as a bomber tried to enter the district's border police headquarters with his explosive-packed vehicle, said General Saifullah Hakim, the border police commander in the region.
Suicide car bomb wounds 4 Afghan police near Pakistan borderMay 14th, 2009 Suicide bomb in Afghanistan wounds 4 policeKANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide car bomber attacked a police station near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan on Thursday, wounding four officers, an official said. The blast in Kandahar province's Spinboldak district killed the car bomber but there were no other deaths, said Police Commander Gen.
Double suicide attack kills, wounds at least 20 in southern Afghanistan, official saysMay 10th, 2009 Afghan double suicide attack kills, wounds 20KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A double suicide bomb attack killed and wounded at least 20 people in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, an official said. The majority of casualties were police and army units responding to the initial attack.
Double suicide attack kills 7, wounds at least 20 in southern Afghanistan, official saysMay 10th, 2009 Afghan double suicide attack kills 7, wounds 20KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A double suicide bomb attack killed seven people and wounded 20 in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, an official said. The majority of casualties were police and army units responding to the initial attack.
Pakistani police say suicide attack kills 10 at checkpoint in northwestApril 18th, 2009 Suicide bomber kills 10 at Pakistani checkpointPESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide car bomber attacked security forces manning a checkpoint in Pakistan's troubled northwest on Saturday, killing at least 10 people, officials said. The checkpoint is near the Orakzai tribal region, which has emerged in recent months as a major base for Taliban militants waging war on the Pakistan government.
Fresh suicide attacks kill two Afghan security personnelFebruary 11th, 2009 KABUL - Two suicide attacks in eastern and western Afghanistan killed two Afghan security personnel and wounded 12 others, officials said Thursday. A suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his body attacked the provincial police headquarters Thursday in southeastern province of Paktika, killing one policeman, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Loading ...