10 killed, 12 injured in E. Afghan airport suicide

Ten people were killed and a dozen others injured Monday morning when a suicide car bomb went off near the gate of an airport in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, police said. "A suicide bomber blew his explosive-laden vehicle near the gate of the Jalalabad city airport this morning. As a result, 10 people, including the suicide bomber, were killed and 12 others were injured," provincial police chief, Abdullah Stanekzai, told Xinhua. He said five civilians, two army soldiers and two local security guards were among the killed. Two American soldiers, six Afghan soldiers were among the injured, said the police chief. Several cars have also damaged in the blast that occurred at around 06:30 a.m. local time Monday, according to witnesses. "There was a young man driving a car and intended to enter the airport but he detonated his car shortly after army soldiers intercepted him and stopped his car," a witness told Xinhua. The explosion caused a hole of about 1 meter deep and 2 in diameter, the witness added. Security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. A Taliban purported spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told local media via cell phone that a Taliban fighter targeted foreign forces in Jalalabad airport Monday morning killing several foreign forces on the spot. The insurgent group has been fighting Afghan and over 130,000 NATO and U.S. forces in a violent insurgency in its 10th year. A civilian was killed and 25 others including 15 policemen, seven American forces and three civilians were injured on Sunday in Imam Sahib District of northern Kunduz province when a protest over Quran burning by U.S. forces in Afghanistan turned violent. More than 30 people have been killed and over 180 others sustained injuries in the demonstrations which began on Tuesday in different Afghan cities to condemn the alleged Quran burning by U. S. military in Bagram airbase 50 km north of Afghan capital Kabul.