Afghans arrest 'suicide bombers'

There have been a spate of suicide attacks in Afghanistan

Afghan officials say they have arrested 17 people who had been trained in Pakistan to carry out suicide attacks.

An Afghan intelligence official said the men had given details of training camps in north-western Pakistan.

Around 700 people, mostly civilians, had been killed or wounded in suicide attacks in the country in the past year, he said.

Afghanistan has repeatedly alleged that Pakistan is helping to train militants - a charge Pakistan denies.

Intelligence official Saeed Ansari said those attending the camps in the tribal areas of north-west Pakistan had included Arab, Chechen, Uzbek, Pakistani and Afghan militants.

There has been a series of suicide attacks in Afghanistan in the past year.

On a single day last month, suicide bombers struck in three different parts of Afghanistan, killing at least 17 people and wounding 25 others. The dead included four Canadian troops.

Afghan officials say they suspect Taleban and other militants opposed to the US-backed government in Kabul may be importing tactics used by insurgents in Iraq.

Correspondents say says the insurgency in Afghanistan continues to deepen, and the pressure on the international community increases.

The violence had until now been fiercest in the south and east of the country.