5 killed, 9 injured in Afghan capital suicide bombing

At least five people were killed and nine others wounded Sunday morning in a suicide bombing that hit an Afghan National Army bus in eastern Afghan capital of Kabul, sources said. "At around 7:00 a.m. (local time) Sunday, an air force bus of Afghan National Army (ANA) carrying employees came under attack of a suicide attacker. The initial reports said three Afghan army personnel and a woman passer-by were killed and nine others were wounded in the incident," the Kabul police said in a statement. The bomber was killed on the spot, it said. The police launched an investigation into the incident which took place in the 3rd street of Kart-e-Naw, an area in eastern Kabul, the statement added. The blast also damaged several shops and vehicles running near the spot, sources said. "A man wearing an explosion-jacket tied to get in the army bus when a staff member was trying to join colleagues who were going to office. The man was intercepted by army soldiers but he detonated his explosive right in front of the vehicle's door," witness Ahmad Jawid told Xinhua. A civilian woman was among the injured, the witness said, adding the number of the casualties may go up. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban insurgent group was likely behind such attacks. Afghan army took the full operational lead from foreign troops in June last year. The war-torn country is due to take over the responsibility for its own security from foreign troops by the end of this year. More than 57,000-strong NATO-led foreign troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, currently are being deployed in Afghanistan.