A suicide car bombing targeting a base of Afghan National Army (ANA) killed three civilians and wounded four soldiers in southern Afghan province of Zabul Friday afternoon, Deputy Governor Ghulab Shah Alikhi told Xinhua.
"The bombing occurred at around 1:30 p.m. local time (0900 GMT) when the suicide bomber drove a truck laden with explosive material and detonated himself at the gate of the Afghan military base in Shah Joy district, leaving three civilians dead and four ANA soldiers wounded," Alikhi said.
"Those three dead were logistic employees for the base," he added.
Meanwhile, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, the purported Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying one Taliban fighter named Matiwullah committed suicide attack inside the military base killing 24 soldiers and wounding 17 more.
Spiraling conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have claimed the lives of over 5,000 people with more than 1,500 civilians so far this year in strife-torn Afghanistan as Taliban insurgents have vowed to intensify assaults against interests of the Afghan government and international troops before the coming winter. Enditem