Suicide bomber kills 18 in Afghanistan

A suicide bomber struck outside the home of a southern Afghan provincial governor today, killing or wounding 18 people, officials said.

Included among the casualties were Afghan pilgrims seeking to go to Mecca and security personnel, said Haji Ghalum Muhiddin, spokesman for the Helmand provincial governor.

It not immediately clear if the governor, Mohammed Daoud Safi, was among the casualties.

Meanwhile, a bomb attack against a NATO patrol south of the Afghan capital killed one Italian soldier and wounded seven others, including five civilians, officials said.

A remotely controlled explosive device was planted under a bridge and detonated when the military convoy passed by, said Ali Shah Paktiawal, Kabul police criminal director.

One Italian soldier was killed and two wounded in the blast, said Mohammed Doud Nadim, the local police chief.

The body of the dead soldier lay on the ground alongside his weapon, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

NATO confirmed the blast but did not immediately confirm the soldier’s death.

The five wounded civilians, including a child, were in a vehicle behind the convoy, Nadim said.

The suicide bomber was stopped by Afghan soldiers at the compound’s first security gate when he detonated his suicide vest, Ghulam Muhiddin, spokesman for the Helmand provincial governor.

Twelve civilians and six police were killed, Muhiddin said. Seventeen people were wounded, including seven seriously, he said.

The governor, Mohammed Daoud Safi, was inside the compound and was not injured in the attack.