Suicide car bomb explodes near Kabul airport

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide car bomb attack killed at least one civilian Monday near the Kabul international airport, Afghan government officials said.

Another 13 civilians were wounded in the attack, Kabul Police Chief Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters at the blast site.

"As a result of the explosion one of our citizens was martyred and 13 others were wounded," said Rahimi. Early reports had only four civilians wounded.

The attack occurred near the eastern entrance of the airport, said Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.

Several nearby shops, houses and vehicles were damaged as a result of the attack according to an AP photographer at the scene of the attack.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and said the target was a convoy of foreign forces.

The attack came one week after another suicide attack carried out by the Taliban in which six U.S. soldiers were killed and two others along with an Afghan were wounded near Bagram Airfield, just north of Kabul. The troops were killed when an attacker rammed an explosives-laden motorcycle into their patrol in a village near the airfield.

Meanwhile, in the southern province of Kandahar, a woman distributing polio vaccinations to children was shot dead by unknown gunmen, said Samim Khpolwak, spokesman for the provincial governor.

A second polio worker was wounded in the incident, which took place in Kandahar city, the provincial capital, he said.

In southern Helmand province, a would-be suicide bomber was shot and killed before he was able to attack a police checkpoint, said Shah Mohmood Ashna, spokesman for the provincial police chief.

The incident happened in Gereshk district after the attacker was identified by police manning the checkpoint, he said.

Taliban militants have increased their attacks recently on Afghan government officials and security forces across the country.