KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 15 (UPI) -- The provincial police chief in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan and two of his officers were killed at his headquarters Friday by a suicide bomber.
President Hamid Karzai called the attackers "enemies of peace and stability in Afghanistan," the Los Angeles Times reported. He blamed "outsiders' provocation and direction," suggesting the bombing was orchestrated in Pakistan.
The president's office said two officers were wounded.
Zamarai Bashari, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said Police Chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid was the target of the attack. He said the bomber was able to enter police headquarters in the city of Kandahar, the second largest in the country, at about 2 p.m.
The Taliban released a statement saying Mujahid was killed in a "martyrdom attack" by one of its fighters. A spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmad, claimed a dozen officers were killed with the chief.
An attempted suicide bombing was foiled Thursday at a local police station in Kandahar. Officers shot the bomber before he could detonate an explosive vest.
Last week, two police officers and three intelligence agents were killed in an attack on a police facility on the edge of the city. Police shot three suicide bombers but an ambulance stuffed with explosives was detonated.
