Bomb kills 11 at police HQ in Afghanistan

Associated Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan

A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday at the main gate of a provincial police headquarters in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 11 people in a city where Afghans have recently taken control of security.

Separately, five international service members were killed Sunday.

The attack early Sunday, which ripped a gaping hole in the station compound’s wall, killed 10 police officers and a child, and wounded as least 12 people, said Helmand provincial spokesman Daoud Ahmadi.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack comes as Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tours Afghanistan for a second day.

Mullen told reporters that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has until mid-October to submit a plan for the initial withdrawal of American troops.