Suicide bombing targeting minister kills 4 in W Afghanistan

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A suicide bomb targeting Afghanistan's Minister of Energy & Water, Ismael Khan, exploded on Sunday morning in the western city of Herat. The blast killed at least four civilians and wounded 17 others.

A Taliban official claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place outside a school for girls. Khan is a key member of the Northern Alliance, whose forces helped US troops topple the Taliban in 2001.

The Energy & Water Minister, who escaped unharmed, was on his way to the airport when the bombing took place. Taliban assassination attempts against Afghan leaders have intensified this year. More than 100 officials and pro-government tribal elders have been attacked - half of them fatally.

Afghan bystanders look at the wreckage of a destroyed car at the  site of an explosion in Herat city, Sept. 27, 2009. A roadside bomb  targeting an Afghan cabinet minister exploded in the western city of  Herat on Sunday, killing at least four civilians and wounded 17 others, but the official escaped unhurt, sources said.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)