Suicide bomber disguised as woman kills five in Afghanistan
02/02/2006 - 07:14:37A suicide bomber disguised as a woman blew himself up at an army checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan, killing five other people and wounding four, police said today.
The blast occurred in eastern Khost province yesterday as soldiers were checking the assailant’s vehicle, said Mohammed Ayub, the regional police chief.
The attacker was sitting in the back-seat of the vehicle and detonated explosives hidden under a woman’s all-encompassing burqa shroud when soldiers asked to see his ID, Ayub said.
Three soldiers, the driver of the vehicle and a farmer working nearby were killed along with the bomber, Ayub said. It was not clear whether the driver was an associate of the assailant or an innocent victim. Three soldiers were wounded, as well as a second farmer.
Police initially reported on the blast late yesterday, but they said it was caused by a land mine and that only two soldiers were killed.
Ayub accused the Taliban of being responsible for the attack.
“The bomber probably wanted to go into Khost city for a suicide attack there, but panicked and blew himself up when the soldiers started checking,” he said.
The bombing is the latest in an unprecedented string of suicide attacks in recent months. The tactic represents a new and disturbing security threat four years after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
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