A suicide bomber killed a commander of the Afghan Local Police, three policemen, and several civilians in an attack in Kapisa province earlier today.
The suicide attack took place near the district headquarters in the Tagab district, a known safe haven for Taliban and Hizb-i-Islami fighters in Kapisa province [for more information on insurgent groups in Kapisa, see LWJ report, Taliban suicide bomber kills 4 French soldiers]. The commander of the Afghan Local police in the area, his son, two policemen, and five civilians were killed in the blast, according to Al Jazeera. Pajwhok Afghan News confirmed that the police commander, who is known as Karimullah, and his son were killed in a suicide attack.
The International Security Assistance Force confirmed that an attack had taken place, but said that “insurgents detonated a remote-controlled bomb in a crowded market area.” The blast killed “six citizens of Afghanistan – five Afghan National Security Forces personnel and one ordinary citizen,” and “17 ordinary citizens and one ANSF” personnel were wounded.
The Afghan Local Police are locally raised forces that have been established to help villages resist intimidation and to prevent the Taliban from creating safe havens in key districts. Over the past several months, the Taliban have been targeting members of the Afghan security forces, particularly members of the Afghan Local Police, as well as anyone who cooperates with ISAF forces [see LWJ report, Taliban suicide bombers kill 17 in attacks in south, west].
The Taliban have carried out two suicide attacks in Kapisa province, which is just north of Kabul, in the last nine days. On June 9, a suicide bomber killed four French soldiers in an attack on their convoy in the district of Nirjab.
France currently is responsible for security in Kapisa. The European nation plans on withdrawing nearly all of its 3,400-plus troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, two years earlier than had been scheduled. France began to reconsider its stay in Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops in Kapisa on Jan. 19.
1 Comment
I wonder why more dogs aren’t being employed to sniff out bomb making materials?