Afghan police hit by bomb attack

By Alistair Leithead
BBC News, Kabul

At least five policemen and two civilians have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in western Afghanistan.

A police official in Farah province said a woman on foot had carried out the attack.

The target was the police station in a town in Farah which borders both Helmand and Herat provinces.

The Taleban claimed responsibility, saying the target was a police commander. The interior ministry condemned the attack.

Problems in west

The attacker struck at 0900 local time. The police station is in the bazaar. More than 25 people were injured.

A provincial police official said the suicide bomber was a woman wearing a burka and she had explosives strapped to her body.

Suicide attacks are now common across Afghanistan but there are signs that security is deteriorating in the west.

Herat has recently seen a large number of kidnappings of Afghan businessmen and members of their families with criminals rather than insurgents suspected.

On the provinces bordering Helmand have also suffered from suicide attacks and bombings, which usually target Afghan security forces.