3 killed, 8 wounded in eastern Afghan suicide bombing

Three policemen were killed while eight civilians wounded Monday in a suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan's province of Ghazni, authorities said. "A security checkpoint of Afghan Local Police (ALP) came under attack at around 3:45 p.m. local time Monday in Andar district. A militant sitting in an explosive-packed minibus opened fire by a gun on ALP personnel at the post before detonating his car. The firing and the blast killed three ALP cops and wounded two others, " the District Governor Mohammad Qasim Desiwal told Xinhua. Six passers-by, including two women and four children, were also wounded in the explosion. The ALP was established in 2010 to protect villages and districts around the country where army and police have limited presence. The Taliban insurgent group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban-led attacks and unrest had plagued parts of the war- torn country since last April, after Taliban launched an offensive against Afghan forces and more than 84,000 NATO-led ISAF coalition troops stationed in the country.