PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, May 20 - At least 11 people including the head of provincial council were killed Monday morning when a suicide bombing rocked Pul-e-Khumri city, the provincial capital of northern Afghan province of Baghlan, a provincial source said."Till now 11 killed, including the head of provincial council Mohammad Rasoul Mohsinni have been admitted to the Pul-e-Khumri hospital," said Dr. Omar Wardak, head of the hospital.
The explosion took place near the entrance of the council office building at around 10:15 a.m. local time, said a police official requesting anonymity.
The source said that the bomber who disguised himself as a police officer detonated his explosive jacket when Mohsinni was entering the building.
The blast also killed and injured at least four Mohsinni's bodyguards, the source added.
Five other people were also wounded in the attack, Wardak said, adding "some wounded people were in critical condition."
The government troops immediately cordoned off the area shortly after the blast.
Zabiullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, claimed the responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban has intensified attacks since late last month when they launched an annual rebel offensive against Afghan and about 100,000 NATO-led forces stationed in the country.
They urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government and foreign troops.
A total of 2,754 civilians were killed and 4,805 injured in conflict-related violence in 2012, according to a UN report released in Kabul on February.
The UN report attributed 81 percent of the civilian deaths to the attacks of Taliban insurgents and other armed groups opposing the Afghan government, another 8 percent of the deaths were attributed to Afghan and NATO-led forces and 11 percent were unattributed.
