WORLD> Asia-Pacific
Suicide attack kills 9 in S Afghanistan
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-16 14:48

KABUL -- Officials say nine policemen were killed and at least 24 other people were wounded after an attack on a police headquarters in southern Afghanistan.

File photo shows British soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on top of their armored vehicle at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province. [Agencies]

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Asadullah Sherzad says the bomber wearing a police uniform detonated himself inside the main police building in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. Sherzad is Helmand's police chief.

Speaking from Lashkar Gah hospital, official Ayatullah Gafari says nine people were killed and 24 were wounded.

A police official Kamal Uddin says eight of those killed and 21 wounded were police officers. The rest were civilians.

Sherzad says the policemen were exercising in the yard at the time of the blast Monday.