Five Afghan troops killed in suicide bombing

KABUL - A suicide bomber killed at least five Afghan troops in an attack on military convoy in eastern Afghanistan Wednesday, officials said.

The attack in south-eastern province of Paktika came a day after two NATO soldiers were killed in a similar suicide attack in the neighbouring province of Khost, the military said.

“Three Afghan army soldiers and two border policemen were killed in the attack,” Daulat Zadran, the provincial police chief for Paktika, said. He said several others were wounded when the bomber targeted the combined forces in Bermal district.

It was not immediately known if there were any casualties among NATO soldiers.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid took responsibility for the Wednesday’s attack, saying more than 40 Afghan and NATO troops were killed in the blast.

NATO said in a statement that a suicide bomber attacked a joint Afghan-NATO border base in Khost province Tuesday afternoon. That attack killed two soldiers and wounded several others, it said.