Afghanistan

Germany condemns attack on Afghan ministry

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned Thursday's suicide bombing which killed five people at the Afghan information ministry in Kabul.

The attack showed that terrorists wanted to weaken the Afghan state and spread fear and distrust among the population, Steinmeier said.

"This cannot be allowed to happen," the minister said in a statement released during a visit to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

"together with the Afghan government and the international community we will continue to undertake intensive efforts to ensure that the necessary security is in place for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan," he added.

Suicide, roadside attacks kill nine in Afghanistan

Kabul, AfghanistanKabul  - A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-filled vest inside a ministry in the centre of Kabul Thursday, killing five people and wounding six while four police officers were killed in a roadside blast in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

Security guards at the Ministry of Information and Culture opened fire on the bomber but he managed to enter the building and blow himself up, said a ministry official, who did not want to be named.

Witness Mahmoud Jan said he heard sounds of small-arms fire after the blast.

Suicide attack in Afghan capital, up to 5 casualties

Suicide attack in Afghan capital, up to 5 casualties Kabul - A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-filled vest inside a ministry in the centre of Kabul Thursday morning, causing up to five casualties, an interior ministry spokesman said.

The bomber entered inside the Ministry of Information and Culture in a busy area in the heart of city, Zemarai Bashary, interior ministry spokesman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"So far we can confirm that five people were killed or wounded," he said, adding that the number of casualties "might go up as we are still helping with evacuation."

US willing to back Afghan talks with Taliban

US willing to back Afghan talks with Taliban Washington - The United States would support efforts by the Afghan government to open dialogue with with Taliban militants and other insurgents to end the violence, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

"They are an independent, sovereign state," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said. "If that's what they see in their best interest, we fully support it and we'll do whatever we can to help facilitate it."

US: 12 militants killed after helicopter shot down in Afghanistan

Kabul  - US forces killed 12 militants after suspected Taliban insurgents shot down an American helicopter in central Afghanistan, the US military said Tuesday.

The incident happened Monday in the Sayed Abad district of Wardak province, 50 kilometres west of Kabul, when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the tail of the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, forcing it to the ground, the US military said in a statement.

The crew members on board returned fire and killed five militants, it said.

Seven other militants were killed and another one was detained when the US soldiers continued searching the area and were engaged by more militants, the statement said.

British general says NATO has "reached limits" in Afghanistan

London - A top British general has warned that NATO forces in Afghanistan have "reached their limit" and suggested that it was time to consider supporting the formation of local tribal militias to help stabilize the country.

General Michael Rose, former commander of UN forces in Bosnia, said he believed there were not enough combat troops to enable NATO to uphold the momentum against Taliban fighters.

"As in all insurgency wars, winning the confidence and consent of the people of Afghanistan will always be more important than winning any particular tactical level military battle against the Taliban," Rose said in comments published Tuesday by the military think tank the Royal United Services Institute.

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