KABUL, Afghanistan – Militants staged attacks in two Afghan
provinces, killing six people, including a district council member and
two policemen on Sunday, the first day of the Taliban's announced
spring offensive, said government officials.
A
man wearing a vest packed with explosives blew himself up in a bazaar
in the Barmal district of the eastern Paktika province on the border
with Pakistan killing four civilians, including a local official, and
wounding 12, said Mokhlis Afghan, a spokesman for the provincial
governor's office.
Sher Nawaz, head of a new
district council in the Shakeen area of Paktika province, was killed in
the blast and likely was the target of the attack, said Afghan.
In
the southwest province of Ghazni, a gunman opened fire on a checkpoint,
killing two policemen and wounding a bystander during an hour long
battle, provincial police chief Zerawar Zahid said.
The
attacks marked the first day of the Taliban's spring offensive. In a
statement released Saturday, the insurgent movement announced it would
step up operations against military bases, convoys and Afghan
officials, including members of the peace council working to reconcile
with top insurgent leaders. AP
