Suicide bomber kills sixteen in Afghanistan

November 20, 2009 Afghan police said today that a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle blew himself up in the southwestern part of the country today, killing at least sixteen people. Two children and one police officer were among the dead, and dozens of others were injured.

Afghan officials say the suicide bomber targeted a busy area of the city of Farah, which is the capital of a province by the same name. The provincial governor, Rohullah Amin, told the Voice of America news agency that the blast occurred near his compound and shattered his office's windows.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Amin suggested that attacks such as these are the hallmark of the Taliban.

In two separate incidents in the eastern part of Afghanistan, two roadside bombs also killed at least four people. The violence comes a day after Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term as president.