Afghan bomber kills 3 German soldiers, 6 others

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, May 19 (Reuters) A suicide bomber killed three German soldiers and six civilians in a crowded street market in northern Afghanistan today in the latest violence blamed on the Taliban, security officials said.

To the south, militants in Kapisa province engaged Afghan and foreign forces overnight in a battle in which several dozen Taliban fighters were believed to have been killed, the US-led coalition said.

And in the Shinwar district near Jalalabad, a remote-controlled bomb killed a police chief and another officer and wounded three others today, a local official said.

Taliban insurgents have stepped up attacks in Afghanistan in recent weeks following the traditional winter lull. The Taliban has said it has trained hundreds of suicide bombers to carry out attacks.

In the northern city of Kunduz, the suicide bomber struck when the German soldiers got out of their patrol vehicle to shop at a packed street market where pots, green tea and other goods were sold.

''Suddenly we heard a big sound. We were frightened,'' said Aziz, a shopkeeper. ''We saw very thick smoke and people rushing to escape.'' In addition to the seven killed in the blast, at least 14 people, including two German soldiers, were wounded, according to local security officials.

UNPOPULAR DEPLOYMENT A Taliban commander claimed responsibility for the Kunduz bombing and said the death toll was higher.

''Our Taliban mujahid (holy warrior) blew himself up near the German troops and killed more than 10 German soldiers,'' Mullah Hayatullah Khan told Reuters by satellite telephone. ''It was a very successful suicide attack on foreign troops and dozens of German soldiers were injured.'' About 3,200 German troops are deployed in Afghanistan, providing security in northern areas that have been relatively safe until recently. The worst violence has been concentrated in southern parts of the country.

The Kunduz bombing was the most serious attack on the Germans in nearly four years. In June 2003, four German soldiers were killed and 29 were injured when their bus was attacked on the way to the airport in Kabul.

''I learned with great shock and sadness about these cowardly attacks on our soldiers and on Afghan civilians in Kunduz where several German soldiers lost their lives and others were seriously injured,'' German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said. ''At this time our sympathies lie with the families.'' Many Germans oppose the Afghanistan deployment as their nation struggles to define its international role more than 60 years after the end of World War Two.

The spate of attacks this week followed the death of the insurgents' top operational commander, Mullah Dadullah, in a US-led coalition raid last weekend. It was considered the biggest blow to the Taliban since they were driven from power in 2001.

In Kapisa province, northeast of Kabul, militants ambushed and tried to trap Afghan and coalition forces before midnight Friday in the al-Asay valley, a coalition spokesman said.

''Coalition air strikes were called in. Several dozen enemy fighters were believed to have been killed,'' Major Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman, said.

On Thursday 35 Taliban fighters, including three senior commanders, were killed in US-led coalition air strikes in the Bakwa district of western Farah province, according to a local police chief.

REUTERS AGL BD1659