German commander injured in Takhar blast

KABUL-led international troops was among those injured and two of his soldiers were killed in the suicide attack on the governor’s compound in northern Takhar province, officials said on Sunday.

Saturday’s huge explosion killed four Afghan police officials, including two senior commanders, and two German soldiers. Nine Afghan officials, including Governor Abdul Jabbar Taqwa, were wounded.

The attacker detonated the explosives strapped to his body after he entered the governor’s compound in Taloqan, the provincial capital, where senior Afghan and NATO-led officials had gathered for a meeting on the security situation.

Police chief for the northern zone, Gen. Daud Daud, provincial police head, Brig. Gen. Shah Jehan Noori, and two more policemen were killed in the suicide assault.

Condemning the bombing, the ISAF media office said two foreign soldiers were killed. In line with its policy, the alliance did not disclose nationalities of the fallen soldiers.

Meanwhile, German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere said NATO’s German commander for the northern zone, Gen. Markus Kneip, was among injured, Two German soldiers were killed in the bombing.

There are 4,900 German troops fighting against the insurgents in northern Afghanistan. Gen. Kneip is the top ISAF official injured in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2011. At least 51 German soldiers have been killed in the country so far.

As usual, the Taliban asserted responsibility for the attack. Their spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the bombing was part of their campaign to target senior government officials.

myn/mud

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