Suicide bombers kill 12 in Afghanistan

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at an Afghan police headquarters Saturday, killing 12 officers in an area along the Pakistan border that still sees heavy Taliban attacks even as NATO pours in more troops and resources.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in eastern Paktika province, which has long been a refuge for Islamist extremists from around the world. It is one of the most violent areas of Afghanistan, where NATO and Afghan forces fight daily against the Haqqani network, a Pakistan-based Taliban faction closely tied to al-Qaida.

The attackers, who were disguised in police uniforms, made it through three security gates, said Nawab Waziry, the head of Paktika’s provincial council. One attacker detonated his explosives inside the police headquarters building, while the other blew himself up near the entrance about 20 minutes later.

“The site was covered with blood,” Waziry told The Associated Press after visiting the scene. He said an intelligence report several weeks ago warned that suicide attackers wearing police uniforms would strike soon.

“Even with all this information, still police were not able to prevent this attack,” he said.

The blasts killed at least 12 officers and wounded 16, said Gen. Daud Andarabi, spokesman for the regional police commander in southeastern Afghanistan. Meyawer Khan, chief of the criminal investigation department for Paktika province, confirmed the death toll.

A NATO service member also was killed in a bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, but it was unclear if there was any connection to the Paktika bombing because the military coalition did not give any further details.