Suicide bomber in car blows himself up and wouneds 3 in Kabul

By AMIR SHAH Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A suicide bomber in a car blew himself up close to a convoy of foreign troops in Kabul on Thursday, but instead wounded three civilians, officials said.

The bomber in a white Toyota Corolla vehicle died in the blast, which happened in the capital's western outskirts shortly after a convoy carrying foreign troops passed by, said a regional police chief Zulmay Khan.

Three civilians, including a woman and two men, were wounded in the blast, he said. There were no reports of casualties among those in the convoy.

Militants trying to weaken the grip of U.S.-backed Afghan President Hamid Karzai have turned to roadside and suicide bomb attacks against heavily armed foreign troops. Last year, militants launched over 140 suicide missions. Most victims in these attacks have been civilians.

Over 1,200 people, mostly militants, have died so far this year in insurgency-related violence in Afghanistan, according to an Associated Press count.

Separately, police clashed with a group of insurgents in the western Ghor province, leaving six Taliban fighters dead, said provincial police chief Shah Jahan Noori.

Among militants killed during the Thursday clash was the Taliban appointed governor for the western province of Ghor, Noor said.

About 10 militants had crossed into Ghor from the neighboring Helmand province before the clash, he said.

Two police and one civilian were wounded during the firefight.

In the areas of the country where the insurgency is active, Taliban militants try to run a parallel administration - collecting taxes and resolving disputes in impromptu created courts.