Woman killed in Kandahar suicide bombing

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): A woman was killed and another three civilians sustained injuries on Wednesday when a suicide bomber on foot detonated his explosives in the capital of southern Kandahar province, police said.

The blast took place in front of Kabul Bus stand and a teaching hospital on the Kandahar University campus at about 4:30pm, Kandahar police spokesman Zia Durrani told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Police were chasing the suicide bomber and wanted to capture him alive, but he blew himself up, killing a woman and three others civilians, he said. The injured people had been shifted to the Mirwais hospital, according to Durrani.

Giving an eyewitness account, a driver at the Kabul Bus stand, Noorullah, said he was waiting for passengers when he saw a man sitting alone.  It seemed he was waiting for someone, the driver said.  And it was then he detonated his explosives away from a police post, causing no casualties to the police, Noorullah said.

The blast comes on Wednesday when a UN report said Afghan civilian casualties rose by a 22 percent in 2014, hitting a five-year high since 2009.

The report prepared by the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, lists 10,548 civilian casualties. The deaths numbering around 3,699 represent a 25 percent spike when compared to 2013.

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