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Blast kills 5 Afghan security guards

21 September 2010 22:27 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A bomb blast has claimed the lives of five security guards in Afghanistan as the Taliban step up their attacks against government forces in the country, APA reports quoting presstv.ir website.

The incident took place as a police vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Parwan province north of Kabul. Three others were also injured in the bombing attack.

According to media reports, the head of a private road construction company was the target of the attack.

The provincial governor blamed the Taliban for the bombing.

The attack comes after nine US troops were killed in a US helicopter crash in the southern province of Zabul. Afghan officials said those killed were from the Special Forces.

NATO said four others including two NATO troops, an Afghan soldier and an American civilian were also injured.

The Taliban, which have claimed responsibility for downing the chopper, said 16 people onboard the aircraft were killed in the attack.

The latest deaths brought the number of foreign fatalities in Afghanistan to 529 so far this year. The figure is more than the entire foreign troops’ death toll in 2009.

The security situation continues to deteriorate in Afghanistan with foreign and Afghan forces falling prey to Taliban militants on a near-daily basis.