Market Bombing Kills 2 Afghan Civilians.

AP) A suicide attack on a U.S. military convoy in eastern Afghanistan killed a boy playing nearby, while a market bombing in a southern border town left two people dead in the latest violence to sweep the country.

Afghan officials also reported heavy fighting Tuesday after militants attacked a provincial security patrol in eastern Khost province near the Pakistan border. A “large number” of militants died, officials said.

High school torched, tribal elder shot dead.

SHARAN/ GHAZNI CITY, July 17 (Pajhwok Afghan News): A high school was set ablaze overnight while two people were killed in separate incidents in south and southeastern province, security officials said on Monday.

Unidentified gunmen overnight torched Marjan High School in Wazakhwa district of the southeastern Paktika province. Provincial Governor Dr Akram Khpalwak told Pajhwok Afghan News two classrooms, stationary and furniture were gutted in the overnight attack.

He blamed enemies of the country, a euphemism used for Taliban for the incident. He said militants had lost sting to encounter government forces and were thus carrying such assaults. Security officials had launched massive operations to hunt down the culprits but had arrested none so far.

In Sabri district of the southeastern Khost province, one man was killed and 13 more injured, when unidentified gunmen overnight hurled a hand grenade at a wedding ceremony.

Crimes branch chief of Khost police headquarters Col Yaqub told this news agency that one civilian was killed and 13 others suffered injuries in the attack. However, Mohammad Wali, a doctor at Khost civil hospital said they had received 22 injured and some others were shifted to private clinics. He said two of the wounded were in critical condition.

Razi Khan, an injured, said: “We were present at the ceremony and it was about 9:30pm when the incident occurred.” He said perhaps Taliban were involved in the incident as they had much influence in the area.

Separately, a tribal elder was gunned down and a civilian sustained injuries when a group of tribal elders and civilians came under attack in Aabband district of the southern Ghazni province.

‘Suicide bomb’ in Helmand capital.

A suicide bomber has attacked the justice department building in the capital of the Afghan province of Helmand, officials say. Three people died, including the top justice official in the area.

Reports say the Taleban claimed responsibility for the attack in which at least eight people were wounded. …

In Monday’s incident in the Helmand capital, Lashkar Gah, the attacker walked into the offices of the local justice director, Abdul Samad Khan, before detonating explosives, the Associated Press agency quotes the Helmand province spokesman as saying. The spokesman said Mr Samad’s deputy and another official were also killed, as well as the attacker.