Bomber in police uniform kills 21

A suicide bomber in a police uniform detonated his explosives inside a police training center in southern Afghanistan yesterday, killing 21 officers and wounding at least 20, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

The bomber entered the training facility in Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province, as the police reservists were exercising, said Juma Gul Himat, Uruzgan's provincial police chief. The Interior Ministry said the attacker was disguised in a police uniform, a tactic Taliban militants have used in several high-profile attacks.

The Taliban has made a comeback the last three years after their initial defeat following the US invasion in 2001. Southern Afghanistan is the center of their fight against the government and international military forces, and militants control wide swaths of territory.