Afghan female politician survives assassination attempt

KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber tried to assassinate a prominent female member of Afghanistan's parliament on Sunday, killing three people and wounding the lawmaker, a senior official said.

Shukria Barakzai was slightly wounded in the attack on her vehicle as she was heading to parliament, said Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.

Another three people, including a young girl, were killed, he said. Earlier, the ministry's deputy spokesman Najib Danish said at least a dozen others were wounded.

The attacker was in a car that attempted to ram Barakzai's vehicle. The assailant then detonated explosives, causing a massive blast that was heard across the capital, Sediqqi said.

Interior Minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai visited Barakzai at the hospital, Sediqqi said, adding that her driver was also wounded and hospitalized.

Barakzai, 42, is a high-profile advocate of women's rights and media freedom. She has been a member of parliament for 10 years and her work has been recognized internationally with a number of awards.

Afghanistan is grappling with a vicious insurgency led by the Taliban, who last week made a similar assassination attempt against Kabul's chief of police Gen. Mohammad Zahir Zahir.