14 killed in Afghan suicide bombing

Kabul: A Taliban suicide bomber on Monday blew himself up in front of a government office in Afghanistan`s northern Baghlan province, killing at least 14 people and wounding 13 others, the Interior Ministry said.

The bombing took place in front of the entrance gate of the Baghlan provincial council headquarters in Pul-e-Khumi around 10.30 am, Xinhua reported. Mohammad Rasoul Mohseni, the head of the provincial council, was among those killed, the ministry said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. According to a UN report released in February, a total of 2,754 civilians were killed and 4,805 others injured in violence in 2012. The UN attributed 81 percent of the civilian deaths to attacks by the Taliban and other armed groups. IANS