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Afghan suicide attack 'kills 12' Afghan police hit by bomb attack
(about 2 hours later)
At least 12 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in south-west Afghanistan, officials say. At least five policeman and two civilians have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in western Afghanistan.
The attack took place in the Dilaram district in Farah province, officials said, with the attacker reportedly wearing a burqa. A police official in Farah province said a woman on foot had carried out the attack.
A number of policemen were said to be among the dead. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The target was the police station in a town in Farah which borders both Helmand and Herat provinces.
South Afghanistan is a stronghold of the Taleban and thousands of foreign troops are fighting them there. The Taleban claimed responsibility, saying the target was a police commander. The interior ministry condemned the attack.
Vehicles destroyed Problems in west
Officials said the blast took place in a market near a police station. The attacker struck at 0900 local time. The police station is in the bazaar. More than 25 people were injured.
Farah governor Rohul Amin told Reuters news agency that officials had said the bomber was wearing a burqa robe. A provincial police official said the suicide bomber was a woman wearing a burka and she had explosives strapped to her body.
A number of police vehicles were destroyed in the attack. Suicide attacks are now common across Afghanistan but there are signs that security is deteriorating in the west.
Last month, a suicide bomb in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 18 people, including 11 police officers. Herat has recently seen a large number of kidnappings of Afghan businessmen and members of their families with criminals rather than insurgents suspected.
Correspondents say there has already been a significant increase in the number of attacks in south and eastern Afghanistan in the first few months of this year compared with 2007. On the provinces bordering Helmand have also suffered from suicide attacks and bombings, which usually target Afghan security forces.
Taleban fighters launched scores of suicide attacks and other bombings last year. Most of those killed were civilians.