Suicide bomber, 12, kills four as Taliban spring offensive begins

A 12-year-old suicide bomber has killed four people and wounded a dozen in east Afghanistan as the Taliban's threatened spring offensive got under way.
Rebel clashes with police and Nato-led troops also left five civilians and two police dead.

The death toll from the day's fighting included at least three children besides the bomber, and dozens of civilians were wounded in firefights.

The boy detonated an explosive vest in a marketplace in Paktika province near the Pakistan border, provincial spokesman Mukhlis Afghan said.

"The head of Shkin district council, Shair Nawaz, a woman and two other men were killed and 12 others were wounded," he said in a statement.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the bombing on behalf of the group. He said it was part of the spring offensive the group announced on Saturday would start on May 1.
Civilians are increasingly getting caught up in the violence that has blighted Afghanistan since a US-led invasion in 2001 ousted the Taliban from power, triggering an insurgency whose intensity has increased in recent years.

The United Nations says that last year was the deadliest for civilians since the conflict began, with 2,777 killed – a 15 per cent increase on 2009.

Three-quarters of the deaths were caused by attacks linked to the insurgents, with improvised bombs the biggest killers. The devices are also the main cause of casualties to Afghan and international troops in the country.

There has been a recent spike in suicide bombings, a key Taliban tactic, and in February the National Directorate of Security said over 80 per cent of the 112 would-be suicide bombers detained in the previous nine months were boys aged between 13 and 17.

About 132,000 international troops are stationed in Afghanistan, two-thirds of them from the United States, battling the Taliban and other insurgents.

A limited withdrawal of foreign troops from seven relatively peaceful areas of the country is due to start in July, with Afghan forces set to take increasing responsibility for security as foreign troops pull back.