Afghan police commander and aides killed

Four officers are killed in Baghlan province, as security forces foil suicide attack attempt in central Kabul.

Baghlan map

Afghan authorities have said that a regional police commander and three of his aides were killed when their vehicle was hit with a roadside bomb in the country’s north.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Baghlan provincial police spokesman Jaweed Basharat said district commander Habinul Rahman was killed on Monday when the bomb exploded next to his vehicle while on patrol at about 11am.

Meanwhile, Afghan security forces prevented a suicide attack outside an intelligence agency office close to the European Union mission in the capital Kabul, Afghan officials have said.

The would-be suicide bomber, who was wearing military uniform, was killed as he approached the National Directorate of Security (NDS) office early on Monday morning.

“A suicide attacker wearing military uniform … who was intending to attack the Kabul branch office [of the NDS] in Chara-i-Sidarat was identified and brought down by security forces,” the agency said in a statement.

“With the killing of this suicide attacker, a bloody terrorist attack was prevented.”

The Afghan capital has frequently been targeted in recent weeks, with Taliban suicide attacks on the presidential palace, the Supreme Court, the airport and an international aid group.

The incident took place in one of the most high-security areas of Kabul, close to the interior ministry and Chicken Street, a popular shopping area for foreigners until the insurgency worsened several years ago. The EU’s mission is nearby.

Taliban rebels have stepped up attacks at the same time as the US tries to revive a stalled peace process before NATO troops leave Afghanistan next year.