Female suicide bomber injures 18 in Afghanistan

Jun 22, 2010, 10:48 GMT

   Kabul - A female suicide bomber injured 18 people in eastern Afghanistan, while a roadside bomb in the western region injured a local legislator and his son, officials said Tuesday,

   The suicide bomber targeted police in Shigal district of Kunar province on Monday, injuring three officers and 15 civilians, the Interior Ministry said.

   Taliban militants rely heavily on suicide attacks against the Western-backed Afghan government and more than 120,000 international troops, but female suicide bombers have been rare.

   A roadside bomb in Farah province wounded a local official and his son on Tuesday, Deputy Provincial Police Chief Mohammad Younus Rasouli said.

   The bomb was remotely detonated outside the legislator's home as the victims were leaving the building, Rasouli said.

   The ministry also said three suicide bombers were killed Monday when their vests detonated prematurely. No one else was injured, according to the statement.

   The incident happened in Marjah district of the southern province of Helmand, the region that witnessed the biggest-ever NATO military operation earlier this year.

   Ten NATO soldiers, including three Australians and at least two US troops, were killed in a helicopter crash and separate attacks on Monday, according to statements by NATO and Afghan authorities.

   More than 60 foreign soldiers have been killed so far in June, the alliance's deadliest month of 2010.