Blast kills Finnish soldier in Afghan northwest

MAIMANA, Afghanistan, May 23 (Reuters) A Finnish soldier and an Afghan civilian were killed by an explosion today in Faryab province in northwestern Afghanistan, officials said.

Four Norwegian soldiers were wounded in the blast outside a NATO base in Maimana, the provincial capital, the Norwegian military said.

Violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months after the traditional winter lull. Last year was the bloodiest since US and Afghan opposition forces forced the Taliban from power in 2001.

The Maimana blast could have been triggered by a remote-control device, said provincial governor Latif Ibrahimi said. The explosives used were hidden under a nearby shop.

Several Afghans were wounded in the explosion, he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

NATO said the soldiers were the victims of a suicide attack.

The troops were patrolling on foot, protecting hospital workers, when a roadside bomb exploded about 100 metres from the base, Commandant Mauri Koskela from the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre told Reuters.

There are about 100 Finnish and 600 Norwegian troops in Afghanistan.

The death was the first Finnish casualty in the Afghan conflict.

One Norwegian soldier was killed three years ago and several have been wounded.

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle set off explosives as Afghan police chased him on a busy road in Kabul, and one policeman was killed and several people wounded, police said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on a road frequently used by foreign troops. Two policemen and several civilians were wounded, police said.

Hours before Wednesday's blasts, Taliban guerrillas beheaded a man they accused of spying for US-led forces in the western province of Farah, a provincial official said.

Reuters DS GC1824