By DPA,
Kabul : A mayor, three of his bodyguards and three civilians were killed Monday when a suicide bomber attacked a government building in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.
The attack in front of the municipal office in Metarlam, the capital of Laghman province, took place as the mayor was entering his office, provincial government spokesman Sayed Ahmad Safi said.
“The mayor, three of his bodyguards and three civilians were martyred and three other civilians were wounded,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
The bomber, who had strapped explosives around his body, also died in the attack, it said.
Taliban militants took responsibility for the bombing in a statement posted on their website.
The Taliban rely heavily on suicide attacks and roadside bombings as part of their campaign against the Afghan government and around 70,000 international troops stationed in the country. The militants were responsible for more than 120 suicide bombings last year.