Suicide bomber kills 6 police at Afghan ministry ahead of vote

KABUL, Afghanistan - Reuters

Afghan policemen secure the site at the main checkpoint leading to the Interior Ministry, after a suicide bomb blast in Kabul April 2, 2014. REUTERS Photo

A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself outside Afghanistan's interior ministry in central Kabul, killing himself and at least six policemen, the latest in a string of attacks ahead of Afghanistan's April 5 presidential election.
   
The attack came on the last day of campaigning for an election that is intended to mark the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan's history.
   
"A suicide bomber wearing a military uniform ... detonated his explosives at the main gate of the interior ministry," the ministry said in a statement.
   
"As soon as the bomber saw some policemen he detonated his explosives. It was impossible for him to enter the facility with the suicide vest," a ministry spokesman added.
   
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail, saying the bomber had penetrated a third ring of security at the ministry before setting off the blast.
   
The Taliban has stepped up the pace of attacks in the run-up to the vote, targeting those organising the election and foreigners, but campaign rallies have been largely undisturbed.