Suicide bombers kill 5 in Afghanistan

The Taliban claims responsibility for the Kandahar attack. Three people also were wounded in the explosions at the entrance to a governor's office and inside the compound.

April 26, 2009|M. Karim Faiez

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Three suicide bombers attacked a provincial governor's office Saturday in southern Afghanistan, killing five policemen and wounding three, an official said.

The attackers targeted employees entering the Kandahar governor's office. One blew himself up at the entrance, and two detonated their explosives inside the compound, said Ahmed Wali Karzai, head of the provincial council and brother of President Hamid Karzai.

A Taliban commander, Mullah Hayat Khan, claimed responsibility for the attack, Reuters news agency reported. The Taliban frequently uses multiple suicide bombers in attacks against the government.

The Taliban movement originated in Kandahar in the 1990s. In recent years, the area has seen escalating attacks by militants who were ousted from Kabul, the capital, by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in 2001.

Faiez is a special correspondent.