Four Afghans, one Briton killed in Kabul suicide attack

Kabul, Nov 27 (IANS/EFE) A British national and four Afghans were killed Thursday in a suicide attack on a British embassy vehicle in Kabul which left 34 others injured, officials said.

The attack occurred at 10.30 a.m. when the suicide bomber detonated explosives inside his car that was near the diplomatic vehicle in eastern Kabul, according to a statement from the Afghan interior ministry.

A British embassy spokesperson told Efe news agency that a number of diplomatic personnel were injured in the blast but did not confirm the death.

A spokesman for the Taliban insurgents, Zabihula Mujahid, claimed responsibility on Twitter for the attack, calling the diplomats "foreign invaders" and claiming that some one dozen foreigners were killed.

It was the latest in a string of recent attacks in the Afghan capital, including one on legislator and Afghan activist Shukria Barakzai who survived but which left three dead and 20 injured.

Last weekend, a suicide bombing attack on a volleyball match in a village in eastern Afghanistan killed 61 civilians.

Suicide bombings, along with improvised explosive devices, are the Taliban's favourite methods to attack Afghan and foreign security forces, although they often result in high casualties among civilians.

Afghanistan currently is going through one of its bloodiest phases since local forces were given the responsibility for security last year coinciding with the gradual withdrawal of foreign military forces which is to be largely complete by the end of this year.

However, NATO has announced that it would continue to maintain around 2,700 soldiers in Afghanistan from 2015, while the US will deploy around 9,800 troops until 2024.

--IANS/EFE

ab/dg