KUNDUZ, Afghanistan - A suicide attacker blew up his explosives-laden car next to a German military convoy in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing three Afghan civilians, officials and witnesses said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
The bomber detonated his vehicle shortly before 10 a.m. local time on a busy road on the edge of Kunduz city, near the airport, the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw at least one overturned armoured vehicle and what appeared to be a civilian car that was mangled in the blast.
Three civilians were killed and 11 were wounded in the attack, the ministry said.
Germany's military said two German soldiers were lightly wounded and treated at a nearby base. Two vehicles were damaged, according to a German military spokesman, who declined to be named in line with department policy. The spokesman said the military could not immediately confirm whether the attack was a suicide assault or a roadside bomb.
The attack comes after a particularly violent day for Afghan and NATO security forces.
On Saturday, insurgents targeted a police station in a suicide attack in Kabul, killing nine people, including five civilians, before they were eventually gunned down.
Eight NATO service members were killed in Afghanistan the same day. Four died in fighting in the south and east, while another four died in a vehicle accident in the south.
The violence continues despite assertions by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that fledgling peace talks have started between the U.S. and Afghan government and Taliban emissaries. Reports about such talks have surfaced in recent months, but Karzai's statement Saturday was the first public confirmation of U.S. participation. Publicly, the Taliban say there will be no negotiations until foreign troops leave Afghanistan.
The White House has neither directly confirmed or denied Karzai's statements.
However, such talks may be gaining momentum after the UN Security Council voted unanimously Friday to treat al Qaeda and the Taliban separately when it comes to UN sanctions, a move aimed at supporting the Afghan government's reconciliation efforts.
