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Suicide bomber kills 16

July 8, 2014

Sixteen people, including four ISAF troops, have been killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as Afghans dispute results of presidential elections.

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Selbstmordanschlag in Parwan Afghanistan 08.07.2014
Image: Reuters

The attack occurred in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday near a NATO patrol in the province of Parwan, which lies north of the capital, Kabul.

Ten civilians, four troops from NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and two local police officers were killed in the blast.

"Four International Security Assistance Force service members died as a result of an enemy forces attack in eastern Afghanistan today," ISAF said in a statement released on its website Tuesday.

The Czech Defense Ministry has confirmed that the four troops killed were Czech soldiers.

The Taliban claimed the attack had killed 15 American troops, but the group routinely exaggerates its accounts.

Election results disputed

The bombing comes a day the release of results of Afghanistan's run-off presidential elections held on June 14, which have prompted claims of election fraud.

Initial results released on Monday showed taht former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani had won the election, but a spokesman for his poll rival Abdullah Abdullah rejected that outcome as "a coup against the will of the people".

The official result is due to be released about July 22.

Security deal still uncertain

NATO is scheduled to end its combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of the year, a move that would see Afghanistan take over responsibility for its own security. Currently there are around 50,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak of 150,000 in 2011.

The new Afghan president will have the option of signing a security deal with the United States to allow 10,000 American troops to remain in the country in a non-combat role beyond the end of the year. Current President Hamid Karzai has so far resisted such a deal.

mz/ipj (AP, AFP, dpa)