Car bomb kills seven police in Afghanistan

A suicide attacker drove a car bomb into a joint Afghan-Nato military convoy in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing seven police and injuring five civilians. The attack came as the officers and soldiers were on a patrol in the Imamsaheb district of north-east Kunduz province.

Reuters

The bomber had loaded the vehicle with explosives, which detonated on impact with the convoy.

"Seven police officers were killed, six more injured, and five civilians wounded," the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Nato confirmed that some coalition troops had been injured, without giving further details.

Meanwhile, in the capital Kabul, an improvised bomb exploded and hit a police jeep on Thursday. There were no casualties.

President Hamid Karzai left Kabul for Iran on Thursday. 

He is to attend a conference that will also involve Tajikistan and deliver a speech during the meeting.

Afghanistan, whose Tajik population speaks a variant of the Persian language, is on good terms with Tehran, despite the fact that the US, which backs Karzai's government, has tense relations with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

This month's WikiLeaks revelations included allegations that Iran has backed insurgent groups in Afghanistan.