Suicide blast in Kabul kills 17 at Supreme Court

A suicide car bomber struck outside the Supreme Court in the Afghan capital today, killing at least 17 people and wounding 39 in the second consecutive day of militant attacks in the heart of Kabul.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their fighter had taken down judges who obey Western powers.
President Hamid Karzai condemned the bombing, saying it was another "terrorist act that once again shows the Taliban are serving the enemies of Islam."
The bombing was the deadliest attack in Kabul since December 6, 2011, when a suicide bomber on foot hit worshippers at a Shiite shrine, killing at least 80 people.

Today's explosion struck as court employees were leaving the building by the back entrance after the day's work, mostly in buses or private cars, said police officer Jahn Agha.
Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said the bomber drove an SUV and specifically targeted the buses with court workers. Police said all the victims were civilians or court staff.

The courthouse is on a busy main road in central Kabul, near the US Embassy. The NATO headquarters is also nearby.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement the militants were obliged to attack "cruel judges" who do the bidding of foreign powers.

The Taliban and other groups have unleashed a wave of bombings and assassinations around the country, testing the ability of the Afghan security forces to respond with reduced help from international troops, which have begun a withdrawal that will see most foreign troops gone by the end of 2014.
The Taliban have said they would go after government workers as part of their spring campaign targeting those serving the "puppet" administration of Karzai.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was obligated to act against this puppet regime because the people have suffered under the courts," said Mujahid, referring to the Taliban by the name they were known when they ruled Afghanistan.

Yesterday, seven Taliban fighters with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns launched a rare assault on NATO's operational headquarters at the military section of Kabul's international airport.