Suicide attack on NATO patrol kills 4

KABUL -- A suicide attack hit a NATO patrol in the east yesterday, killing three coalition service members, the international military force said, while Afghan officials said a civilian was also killed in the bombing.

Hours later, on the other side of the country, a roadside bomb hit a bus, killing three people, a witness said. Many wounded passengers were trapped in the bus by a fierce battle between insurgents and Afghan police that raged most of the day.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the bombing of the NATO patrol in Kunar province, an eastern stronghold of the insurgency that lies along the border with Pakistan, where militants have hideouts.

The attack emphasized the insurgency's continued ability to wreak violence despite the efforts of the Afghan government and international forces to wipe out their leadership.

In Kunar, two attackers wearing suicide vests detonated their explosives as the NATO foot patrol passed by the headquarters of the provincial government, provincial police chief Ewas Mohammad Naziri said.

NATO confirmed that three of its service members were killed in a suicide attack, but did not give their nationalities. The attack brought to 15 the number of international troops killed so far in August.

An Afghan civilian was killed and three were wounded in twin blasts that took place about 10 a.m., said Wasifullah Wasify, a spokesman for Kunar's governor. He said the bombers struck just outside the government compound in the provincial capital of Asadabad during a meeting of the provincial council.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said two insurgents drove explosives-laden vehicles into the NATO patrol from opposite directions. He claimed they killed 17 international soldiers. The insurgents typically claim far higher death tolls in their attacks.

In the other attack, later in the day, a roadside bomb hit a bus in the western province of Farah, killing at least three people, a passenger said.

Insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in Farah province around midday, and the struggle for the road continued for hours, provincial deputy police chief Mohammad Ghaws Milyar said. One militant was killed, he said, but police casualties were unclear because the battle was continuing. The bus hit a roadside bomb apparently planted by insurgents.