Suicide bomber strikes inside Afghan Defence Ministry

A suicide attacker got into the building of the Afghan Defence Ministry wearing an army uniform and with a Defence Ministry pass, Tolo television said. The defence ministry's spokesman could not be reached for comment. Hashmat Stanekzai, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, confirmed there had been an "incident" in the ministry, but declined to comment further. The injured included an assistant to the Defence Minister and secretary of the Army Chief of Staff, the report said, quoting unidentified defence ministry sources. The attack comes months before the start of transfer of security responsibilities from foreign to Afghan forces, and after NATO-led troops claimed solid progress in efforts to bolster the numbers and quality of the Afghan police and army. On Saturday a suicide bomber in an Afghan army uniform penetrated a sprawling desert base in the east of the country and killed five foreign and four Afghan soldiers, the highest toll of NATO-led troops in a single attack for several months. On Friday, a suicide bomber in police uniform evaded tight security at the police headquarters in Kandahar city and killed Khan Mohammad Mujahid, the provincial police chief.