Suicide Bombing Kills 24 in Afghanistan

Officials in eastern Afghanistan say three suicide car bombers have attack a construction company, killing 24 people and wounding more than 50 others.

Authorities said the attack happened late Sunday in the Barmal district of Paktika province, when the bombers killed a security guard and then detonated a truck full of explosives.

A provincial spokesman said the blast killed civilian workers at the site.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which was condemned by President Hamid Karzai.

In northeastern Kunar province, officials said Sunday that Taliban militants have abducted 50 people, including police officers.

The local police chief said officers were part of a convoy of four vehicles traveling in Chapa Dara district. He said those abducted were not armed. It is not clear how many were police officers or recruits.

A Taliban spokesman confirmed the abduction, saying the group has not yet decided what to do with the captives. Local elders are helping in the negotiations to free the men.

In the past, the Taliban has released captured police officers after they pledged to stop working for the government.

From VOA