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AFP Taliban suicide car bomb kills 13 in Afghanistan

Kabul (Afghanistan) (AFP) - A Taliban suicide car bomb killed at least 13 people, including six policemen, on Thursday in a normally peaceful region of eastern Afghanistan, officials said, nearly one month after elections.

"A suicide attacker detonated his vehicle-loaded explosive after being identified by security forces," Abdul Aziz Ghairat, police chief of Panjshir province, told AFP.

"Six police were killed, and seven civilians. A number of other civilians and security forces were also wounded."

The ministry of interior confirmed the incident at the highly-guarded checkpoint where vehicles enter the steep Panjshir valley.

"Around 5:00 pm, a suicide bomber in a Toyota Sedan vehicle detonated his explosives-loaded vehicle," it said in a statement. "As a result of this attack, six policemen were killed and a number of civilians were wounded."

The Taliban insurgents, who fight against the US-backed Kabul government, claimed responsibility for the attack via a recognised Twitter account, saying they had delivered a "heavy blow to the enemy".

Panjshir province, north of Kabul, was a bastion of anti-Taliban resistance during the extremists' 1996-2001 regime, and has been relatively stable since they were ousted.

The scenic valley in the Hindu Kush mountain range is also famous for its residents' dogged opposition to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

The province is dominated by the Tajik ethnic group, and voted strongly in favour of Abdullah Abdullah in the April 5 presidential election.

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Taliban suicide car bomb kills 13 in Afghanistan