Afghan Policemen Killed, Injured in Suicide Attack

Afghan policemen keep watch in Mazar-i-sharif, Oct. 12, 2014. AFP file photo
Afghan policemen keep watch in Mazar-i-sharif, Oct. 12, 2014. AFP file photo
TT
20

Afghan Policemen Killed, Injured in Suicide Attack

Afghan policemen keep watch in Mazar-i-sharif, Oct. 12, 2014. AFP file photo
Afghan policemen keep watch in Mazar-i-sharif, Oct. 12, 2014. AFP file photo

At least a dozen Afghan security forces were killed when a suicide attacker blew himself up in the southern province of Kandahar, police said Thursday.

"Twelve security forces were killed and four others were wounded" in the attack in which an explosives-packed Humvee was used, Kandahar police spokesman Zia Durrani told Agence France Presse.

The Taliban claimed the deadly assault on the government and police headquarters in Maroof district that also wounded several others.

Durrani said the Taliban attackers had been "defeated.”

A border police commander in Maroof, which borders Pakistan, gave a slightly higher toll, telling AFP that 14 security personnel had been killed and eight wounded in the attack that happened late Wednesday. 

"The intensity of the blast caused damage to the building and led to casualties," he said.

"The clean-up operation is under way in the area."

The attack is the latest deadly assault by the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since US-led NATO combat troops withdrew in 2014 and now controls swathes of territory across the country. 

During a high-profile visit by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, insurgents launched a volley of rockets near the city's international airport.

A US airstrike launched in support of Afghan security forces who had confronted the attackers caused "several casualties" when a missile malfunctioned. 

One person was killed and 11 others wounded in the assault that lasted several hours, according to the interior ministry.



China Says Premier Li to Visit Brazil for BRICS Summit, Egypt

China's newly-elected Premier Li Qiang takes an oath after being elected during the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on March 11, 2023. GREG BAKER/Pool via REUTERS
China's newly-elected Premier Li Qiang takes an oath after being elected during the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on March 11, 2023. GREG BAKER/Pool via REUTERS
TT
20

China Says Premier Li to Visit Brazil for BRICS Summit, Egypt

China's newly-elected Premier Li Qiang takes an oath after being elected during the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on March 11, 2023. GREG BAKER/Pool via REUTERS
China's newly-elected Premier Li Qiang takes an oath after being elected during the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on March 11, 2023. GREG BAKER/Pool via REUTERS

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Brazil for a meeting of BRICS countries and then Egypt next week, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"Li Qiang will attend the 17th BRICS Summit upon invitation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 5 to 8," a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

Beijing and Moscow have hailed the BRICS club as a counterweight to what they see as Western hegemony on the world stage, according to AFP.

A loose grouping of countries named after founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, its members pledge to boost trade and cooperation, though it is not a trade pact and has few institutional ties.

"The BRICS cooperation mechanism is one of the most important platforms for solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries in today's world," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

"It is a vital force in promoting a more equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive and beneficial economic globalisation," she added.

The Kremlin said last week, however, that President Vladimir Putin would not travel to Brazil for the upcoming summit due to the outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant on the Russian president.

Following his visit to Brazil, Li will then "pay an official visit to Egypt from July 9 to 10", Beijing said.

"During the visit, Premier Li Qiang will have in-depth exchanges of views with Egyptian leaders on the development of China-Egypt relations, the deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation, and issues of common concern," Mao said.