Police prevented a Taliban car bomber from entering the Afghan capital of Kabul Saturday but the suicide bomber detonated explosives after a chase, killing one police officer and injuring three others, a police spokesman said.
Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said a police patrol chased the explosives-laden Toyota Corolla before it detonated at about 7:30 a.m. local time. Ministry of Interior spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that police were tipped off to the attack, and that it would have been worse had the bomber reached the city.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which is the latest against government forces and civilians alike.
On Saturday, a suicide bomber destroyed a bus carrying soldiers to the Kabul, killing six. Another attack earlier that day near Bagram Airfield killed two U.S. soldiers. And last Thursday, a teenage boy blew himself up at a movie screening that the Taliban objected to, killing four, and a suicide bomber struck a busload of army officers, killing at least five.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the wave of attacks in a televised speech and vowed that "we will never surrender." The Taliban have increased attacks ahead of the planned withdrawal of most international combat troops by the end of the year.
IN-DEPTH
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Says 'Enough' to Wave of Attacks
- Deadly Attacks Hit Afghanistan Ahead of Foreign Troop Withdrawal
- Taliban Suicide Attacker Hits Screening of Film on Suicide Bombers
