Burqa-disguised bomber kills 15 in Afghanistan

At least 22 others wounded in crowded western market, local official says

Afghanistan in pictures

PANOS	Saving lives on the front line Photographer Erin Trieb spends six weeks with the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan.
Getty Images	Afghan election The nation prepares for the Nov. 7 presidential runoff amid growing tensions after allegations of fraud marred the August election.
AP	On the front lines Soldiers are fighting to suppress the Taliban and win over the Afghan people.

INTERACTIVE

Key dates in the war
The origins of the war, the battles, and struggle for stability

Interactive

Torn by conflict
Afghanistan's tumultuous history

World Blog: Kabul, Afghanistan

The reality of the war in Afghanistan

Highly touted, but misguided ideas about Afghanistan

Afghan girls burn themselves to escape marriage

updated 3:04 a.m. ET May 15, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber wearing a burqa blew himself up at a crowded market in western Afghanistan on Thursday, killing 15 people and wounding 22 others, an official said.

The bomber struck in Dilaram district of Farah province, said provincial official Younus Rasoul.

Three policemen, including a district police chief, and 12 civilians were among the dead. Police tried to stop the bomber seconds before he exploded, Rasoul said.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Afghanistan is battling a Taliban-led insurgency that is strongest in its east and south.

Militants launched more than 140 suicide bombings in the country in 2007, and many of those killed in the attacks have been civilians.

Click for related content

NATO: Pakistan pacts embolden militants

At least 1,200 people — mostly militants — have died in insurgency-related violence in 2008, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press. The United Nations says more than 8,000 people, most of them militants, died in insurgency-related violence in 2007.