Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber has killed 25 police officers in southern Afghanistan.
The police chief of Uruzgan province (Juma Gul Hemat) says the bomber entered a police training center in the provincial capital (Tirin Kot) today (Monday), dressed in a police uniform. He then blew himself up.
Several other Afghan police officers were wounded.
Taliban insurgents have claimed responsibility for the attack in southern Afghanistan, which is the center of their insurgency.
The U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Army General David
McKiernan, condemned the bombing. He said the attack showed insurgents'
total disregard for Afghan lives, and he pledged that the alliance will
continue to support the Afghan national police force.
Also today, the Afghan Defense Ministry issued a statement saying
security forces arrested three suspected suicide bombers in Uruzgan
province. The statement says authorities found jackets outfitted with
explosives on the suspects.
The United States plans to intensify its fight against the Taliban this
year by sending as many as 30-thousand more troops to Afghanistan.