Suicide bomber near Afghan parliament kills 4

Kabul, Apr 6: A suicide bomber killed three civilians and a policeman in a blast near Afghanistan's parliament in Kabul today, police and witnesses said.

Police had stopped the bomber in his car and then he blew himself up, a policeman at the scene said.

''Four people, including a police officer who had spotted the bomber, lost their lives in this attack,'' Kabul police chief Esmatullah Dawlatzai told reporters at the site.

Pieces of flesh littered the road and a large crowd gathered.

But the blast occurred early in the morning and there was little traffic because Kabul largely shuts down on Fridays, the Muslim holy day.

There has been a series of suicide blasts in the capital as the country heads into renewed fighting after the annual winter lull.

Last year was the bloodiest since the Taliban were ousted in 2001 -- more than 4,000 people died -- and many military commanders and analysts expect fighting this year to be worse.

Reuters