KABUL, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The militancy-ridden Afghanistan witnessed two suicide bombings in two successive days, leaving 22 people dead including two bombers.
The latest attack on Tuesday struck a meeting of pro-government tribal elders in the western Herat province, leaving five people including a local police officer dead, deputy provincial police chief Abdul Hamid Hamidi confirmed.
"A meeting of local tribal elders and members of Afghan Local Police (ALP) was underway in Kushki Kuhna district of Herat province, when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering leaving five people including four civilians and a local police officer dead on the spot," Hamidi told Xinhua.
Established in 2010 and funded by NATO and the U.S., the ALP or community police are responsible for protecting villages and districts around the country where Afghan army and national police are absent.
Hamidi blamed the attack on Taliban militants but the outfit fighting the government has yet to make comment.
Earlier on Monday, a similar suicide bombing in the northern Kunuduz province claimed the lives of 16 people including seven police and eight civilians and wounded 20 others, according to Afghan Interior Ministry.
The Interior Ministry blamed the deadly attack on the enemies of peace, a term used by officials against Taliban militants.
In a separate incident, three members of Afghan security forces were killed in a rocket attack on a main U.S. military base in Bagram on Monday night, police said Tuesday.
"A rocket fired from undisclosed location hit Bagram airbase in Parwan province at around 10 p.m. local time Monday, leaving three security personnel, including two members of Afghan intelligence agency dead," police chief of Parwan province, General Akram Begzad, told Xinhua.
Taliban purported spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaking to media by telephone from unknown location claimed responsibility, saying Taliban fighters fired two rockets on Bagram garrison inflicting casualties.
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