Roundup: 5 Afghans killed, 41 injured in Taliban plotted car bomb

A total of five people including the bomber were confirmed dead and 41 others injured as a car bomb rocked Paghman district, 20 km west of Afghan capital Kabul city on Wednesday, police said.

"A terrorist riding an explosive-laden car blew it up next to the gate of district police department of Paghman district, killing four people including a police officer and injuring 41 others," Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters at the site of the bloody blast.

He also added that the bomber was also killed in his blast.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief for Paghman district and two civilians including a woman are also among those killed in the attack, the police officer confirmed.

In the deadly incident, which occurred at around 11:20 a.m. local time, the building of the police department and several houses nearby were destroyed or badly damaged, the officer said, adding investigation has been initiated into the case.

According to the police officer and eye witnesses, the vast majority of the victims are innocent civilians.

Civilians often bear the brunt of war in Afghanistan as nearly 1,600 civilians were killed and more than 3,300 others wounded in conflicts and militancy in the first half of the year, according to UN reports released here recently.

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit in contact with media from unknown location accepted responsibility for the bloody car bomb, saying that a suicide bomber named Akhtar Mohammad Ghaznawi driving explosive- borne car detonated it at the gate of police house station in Paghman district Wednesday, killing himself and several others from the police station.

Taliban militants fighting the government to regain power have speeded up activities since April 24 when the insurgent outfit launched its so-called spring offensive in the country. Endi