Suicide bomber kills four in Kabul attack on Afghan army bus

A suicide bomber attacked an Afghan army bus in Kabul today, killing four people and wounding up to 22, police said, the latest incident in a worrying surge of violence in the Afghan capital over the past 10 days.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, the worst since a devastating assault on a popular restaurant on January 17th killed 21 foreigners and Afghans.

Among the victims of today's attack was local radio journalist Shahid Naimi, according to police, who happened to be near the bus when the bomber blew himself up.

Naimi was the second Afghan journalist to die in the past week, after the mutilated body of Noor Ahmad Noori was discovered in southern Helmand province on Thursday.

Noori had worked for the New York Times. The motive for his killing was unclear, with police saying only that an investigation was underway.

Hashmat Stanikzai, the chief spokesman for police in Kabul, said the blast aimed at the bus had also injured a number of children who were also in the vicinity of the attack.

The Afghan capital was hit by at least two other attacks in the previous 24 hours, according to security officials.

Two people were wounded in an explosion in the north of the city latelast night, while security sources said a rocket landed near the international airport on Kabul’s outskirts without causing casualties.

The restaurant attack on January 7th was the worst on foreigners since the Taliban were overthrown by US-led Afghan forces in late 2001 and sent shockwaves through Kabul.

Three United Nations staff and the International Monetary Fund's top representative in Afghanistan were among the 13 foreigners killed in that attack.

Reuters