A suicide bomber killed at least six Afghan soldiers in the suburbs of Kabul Thursday morning, officials said, the latest in a spate of Taliban attacks in the capital.
A suicide bomber killed at least six Afghan soldiers in the suburbs of Kabul Thursday morning, officials said, the latest in a spate of Taliban attacks in the capital.
The bomber who was on foot targeted a bus carrying Afghan troops in Tangi Tarakhil on the outskirts of the capital, Kabul Crime Branch Unit chief General Farid Afzail told AFP.
"Around 7:15 am, a suicide bomber on foot targeted a bus of Afghan army soldiers in Tangi Tarakhil area of Kabul city," Afzail said.
"As a result of the attack, six Afghan army staff were martyred and 10 others were wounded."
A statement from the defense ministry confirmed the details of the attack and death toll, but said 11 people were wounded.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to the media.
Kabul has been hit by a spate of deadly attacks in recent weeks as the US-led military presence declines.
NATO's force in Afghanistan will change on December 31 from a combat mission to a support role, with troop numbers cut to about 12,500 -- down from a peak of 130,000 in 2010.
CIA Torture
Thursday's attack came as Washington announced it no longer holds any prisoners in Afghanistan, a day after a damning US Senate report on the brutal treatment of "war on terror" detainees.
A US official confirmed to AFP that the last "third-country nationals" in US custody in Afghanistan had been transferred.
In March 2013, Afghan forces took control from the US of the notorious Bagram prison, renamed Parwan, located on the sprawling US military airbase, but American forces had remained in charge of non-Afghan prisoners.
The running of Bagram jail, 40 kilometers north of Kabul, was highly controversial, with rights groups accusing the US of abusing prisoners.
A US army report found that two inmates were beaten to death in 2002.
The Senate report highlighted abuse at "black sites" around the world, several in Afghanistan including once known as the "Salt Pit" outside Bagram Air Base.
