Suicide bomber kills four in Afghanistan

KABUL: A 12-year-old suicide bomber killed four people and wounded a dozen in east Afghanistan Sunday, while rebel clashes with police and NATO-led troops left five civilians and two police dead, officials said.

The death toll from the day's fighting included at least three children besides the bomber, and dozens of civilians were wounded in firefights as violence appeared to escalate after the Taliban announced a spring offensive.

The boy -- thought to be one of the country's youngest-ever suicide attackers -- detonated an explosive vest in a marketplace in Paktika province near the Pakistan border, provincial spokesman Mukhlis Afghan said.

"The head of Shkin district council, Shair Nawaz, a woman and two other men were killed and 12 others were wounded," he said in a statement. The Afghan interior ministry had earlier put the death toll at three, with 11 wounded.

It was unclear how authorities established the age of the bomber, with the bodies of suicide attackers often difficult to identify. (AFP)