Taliban bomber kills troops in east Afghanistan

An Afghan official said Monday a suicide bomber targeted a base belonging to the country's intelligence service in eastern Afghanistan, killing seven members of the force.

A spokesperson for the provincial governor said at least 40 other members of the intelligence force were wounded in the attack, which took place near the provincial capital of Ghazni.

A Taliban spokesman had claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The bomber used a stolen military Humvee and detonated his vehicle full of explosives as he approached the main gate of the entrance.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents were behind the attack in Ghazni province, where the Taliban control most of the countryside and the rural areas.

The provincial capital, also called Ghazni, briefly fell to Taliban control twice in recent years.

The province has in the past been the scene of many large-scale attacks against both Afghan and NATO forces.

The attack came a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, signed a power-sharing agreement, two months after both declared themselves the winner of last September's presidential election.

The political deal would see Ghani remain president of the war-torn nation while Abdullah would lead the country's National Reconciliation High Council.