A suicide bomber wearing an Afghan police uniform detonated his device near the Defense Ministry in Kabul Monday, leaving at least seven people dead and 41 others wounded. Health Ministry officials tell VOA the dead include members of the Afghan army and police force.

Witnesses say the attack happened as the victims inspected the site of an earlier small blast caused by another device that had been planted on the site. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the insurgents were behind Monday’s attack.

Kunduz situation

The Kabul attack came as Afghan security forces on Monday retook control of a key district from the Taliban in the volatile northern province of Kunduz.

Area commanders say the insurgents were forced to retreat from Qala-i-Zal after security forces backed by air support staged an early morning assault on the district that the insurgents overran about a month ago.

The insurgent group has not yet commented on the government claims.

The Taliban has stepped up its campaign of violence and battlefield attacks, including heavy casualties on the security forces.

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, said last week that more than 900 Afghan soldiers and police personnel were killed in July alone.

 
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