Suicide attack in Afghanistan kills 10, wounds 25

At least 10 people were killed and over 25 others wounded in a suicide attack in Shatal district of central Panjsher province of Afghanistan on Thursday, said officials. The Governor of the province, Abdul Rehman Kabiri said in a statement that the suicide bomber was trying to detonate his explosives-laden car into the valley, but police identified him. He confirmed that 10 people were killed and 25 others, mostly civilians, were wounded in the attack. The deputy police chief, Colonel Najmuddin said that the suicide bomber detonated his car at the entrance to a police checkpoint in the valley. The blast occurred at around 6:00 pm with eight policemen among the fatalities. Security forces cordoned off the area and a search operation went underway. All the wounded were instantly taken to the nearby Panjsher Civil Hospital. The blast came just a day after Afghan troops, backed by air strikes by foreign forces, killed at least 60 militants near the Pakistan border in Afghanistan in one of the biggest single assaults against Taliban rebels. The security situation in the country is worsening just before the departure of foreign troops from Afghanistan, scheduled this year.