10 hurt in suicide attack on Afghan army bus

Afghan security men at the scene of a suicide attack in Kabul. A man wearing a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in the Afghan capital early Wednesday morning. Photo: AP

A Taliban suicide bomber on Wednesday attacked a bus carrying Afghan soldiers, injuring at least 10 people - six soldiers and four civilians police sources said in Kabul.

A witness said the attacker slid underneath the bus and then detonated his explosives, engulfing the undercarriage of the bus in flames.

The Afghan government uses buses to ferry soldiers, police and office workers into the city center for work every day. These vehicles, which run regular routes, have been a common target for insurgents.

Soldiers were about to board the bus when the attacker slid underneath and detonated his vest, said Ahmad Shakib, who saw the attack unfold from across the street. Mr. Shakib said the attacker did not rush but moved purposefully across the snowy street. When the man started to push himself under the bus, Mr. Shakib thought at first he was a driver’s assistant trying to fix something.

The owner of a nearby bakery said that six people who were waiting outside his shop to buy bread were wounded.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the bombing in a text message to

The Associated Press .

The attack comes three days after a suspected car bomber was shot dead by police in downtown Kabul. That assailant was driving a vehicle packed with explosives and officials said he appeared to be targeting an intelligence agency office nearby.