KABUL - A suspected Taliban suicide bomber was killed when the explosives strapped to his body detonated prematurely at a Turkish company in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials said.
The bomber was trying to enter the office of a Turkish construction company in the Andar district of southern Ghazni province, but the explosives went off when he was in the car parking area, police director Abdul Wakeel Kamiab said.
"The explosion did not cause any casualties or damage to the property," he said.
Kamiab blamed the attack on the remnants of the ousted Taliban regime.
In a separate incident a suspected Taliban rebel was killed while planting a landmine in a sports ground in Sharan, the capital of southeastern Paktika province, a provincial official said.
"A Taliban planting a landmine in a local sports ground became victim of his own ill attempts. He was killed as the bomb he was planting went off," Ghamay Khan Mohammadyar, secretary to the provincial governor told AFP.
Security officials said two Taliban insurgents were also killed and nine wounded in an operation near Ghazni city.
"In joint operation of Afghan army, police and coalition forces two Taliban were killed, nine were wounded and one was arrested in a village called Madrasa," army general Akram Samai told AFP.
The operation was launched after a tip off that Taliban members had gathered in the area.
"We had reports that Taliban were coming for training to this village," Samai said.
There are regular bomb blasts in Afghanistan blamed on the Taliban movement which has been waging an insurgency against the government since being overthrown by a US-led coalition in late 2001.
The Taliban insurgency has gained strength every year since the regime was forced out for not surrendering their ally Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
06/07/2006 12:43 GMT