Taliban's Suicide Car Bomb Aimed At US Troops, Roadside Bombs In Afghanistan Kill At Least 13 People

A suicide car bomb, which was reportedly targeting a convoy of U.S. troops, exploded in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least three people and injuring four others. The people killed in the attack near the Jalalabad airport in the eastern part of the country were Afghan civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, CNN reported, citing Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman.

The spokesman said in a statement that the attack was meant to strike U.S. troops. None of the U.S. soldiers were hurt in the bombing near the U.S. military base near the airport, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing Hazrat Hussain Mashraqiwal, the spokesman for the provincial police chief.

The attack took place just outside the gates of the military camp when the convoy was returning from an early patrol, the AP reported, citing an official. The busy area has residential buildings and retailers.

"This is another example of the Taliban disregarding the well-being of innocent Afghans and killing them through their indiscriminate attacks," NATO's Resolute Support mission said in a statement, according to CNN, confirming the deaths.

Another attack took place on Friday when a roadside bomb exploded in southeastern province of Ghazni and killed 12 people, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. However, the number is disputed in media reports. The AP reported that the attack killed 10 people.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani "strongly condemned the group terrorist attack in which a number women and children were martyred and many others were wounded," AFP reported, citing a Friday statement.

Friday's attacks follow the firefight that was started by an Afghan soldier on Wednesday, killing one U.S. soldier and injuring eight others. No group has taken responsibility for the attack which is the first so-called "insider attack" to target NATO troops in the country, the AP reported.