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| Suicide bomb kills Afghan troops | Suicide bomb kills Afghan troops |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A suicide bomber has blown himself up in eastern Afghanistan, killing four Afghan soldiers and a child, government officials say. | A suicide bomber has blown himself up in eastern Afghanistan, killing four Afghan soldiers and a child, government officials say. |
| Four troops were wounded in the attack, which took place in Khost province. | Four troops were wounded in the attack, which took place in Khost province. |
| The bomber blew himself up as an army convoy slowed to pass a pothole-riddled section of the road, officials said. | The bomber blew himself up as an army convoy slowed to pass a pothole-riddled section of the road, officials said. |
| Suicide bombers frequently target Afghan and foreign troops fighting Taleban insurgents in the south and east of the country. | Suicide bombers frequently target Afghan and foreign troops fighting Taleban insurgents in the south and east of the country. |
| Officials say the attack took place 12km (eight miles) west of Khost city. | |
| Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed told reporters that his group was responsible for the attack. | |
| Stepped up | |
| Correspondents say that the Taleban-led insurgency has killed more than 1,200 people - mostly militants - so far this year. | |
| Taleban insurgents carried out more than 140 suicide bombings in 2007 and have vowed to step up such attacks this year. | |
| Correspondents say that the militants often target Afghan and international security forces as part of their effort to topple the pro-Western Afghan government and drive foreign troops out of the country. | |
| In other violence, Afghanistan's deputy police chief Abdul Sabor Allayer told the Associated Press news agency that a rocket hit a schoolyard on Wednesday in Asmor district, killing one student and wounding four others. | |
| He said the victims were between eight and 14 years' old. | |
| The UN children's fund, Unicef, says there were 236 school-related attacks last year, as the militants tried to close schools and forced teenage boys to join the Islamic militia. | |
| Meanwhile, a US general leading efforts to build and train local forces has said that the Afghan army will need international air support in combat operations for another five years. | |
| Maj-Gen Robert Cone said such support would have to continue until the Afghan air force became fully operational, probably in 2013. | |
| The general, speaking in Brussels, said the Afghan army now numbered about 57,000 troops, with 9,000 others in training. | |
| He said that it remained on course to increase the strength to 80,000 personnel by early next year. |