Bomber Kills 25 Policemen in Southern Afghanistan

Bomber Kills 25 Policemen in Southern Afghanistan o\ss  
By Barry Newhouse xB.h#x>_`  
Islamabad HHd;<%q  
02 February 2009 ibe#Y  
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Officials in southern Afghanistan say a suicide bomber has attacked a police training center, killing at least 25 policemen and wounding 20 others. A Taliban spokesman claims responsibility for the blast. ean_/E  
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Officials in Tirin Kot, the provincial capital of Uruzgan province, say the bomber entered the city's police training compound while a group of officers was exercising. k;aV4 0N9  
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Local officer Gulab Khan says officials are still trying to tally the casualties from the attack, hours after the explosion. He says the suicide bomber was wearing a police uniform when he entered the training compound. He says the attacker then detonated his bomb, killing 19 police, at the scene. 7Q_AZR4  
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Officials say other officers are in serious condition. iIZDtZFF  
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A Taliban spokesman called local and foreign news outlets, soon after the attack, claiming responsibility. Rn] `_[)*~  
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The Afghan Defense Ministry later released a statement saying security forces arrested three suspected suicide bombers in Uruzgan province. The statement says the suspects were found with suicide jackets, outfitted with explosives. R1CoS6  
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Southern Afghanistan remains a stronghold of the Taliban and the center of the country's massive opium industry. United Nations officials estimate seven provinces in the south, including Uruzgan, account for 98 percent of the country's total opium poppy crop in 2008. .rfKItd  
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The opium trade is believed to be an important source of income for militants and helps fuel widespread corruption, throughout the Afghan government. ?ykQ]r6a<  
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The region is mainly patrolled by Canadian, British, Dutch and Australian troops, but American commanders have recommended that some of the more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops expected in the coming months are sent to the south. m6'VM W  
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This year, the United Nations estimates smugglers exported about $3.5 billion in opium, earning Taliban militants as much as $500 million. But overall opium production is lower than in 2007, which U.N. analysts mainly attribute to low opium prices and high wheat prices. Officials say the overproduction of opium, in recent years, led to a 20 percent decrease in price this year. @jXdQY%{  
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阿富汗塔利班自杀爆炸廿多警察死 16;r+.FB'  
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阿富汗南部的官员们说，一名自杀炸弹杀手攻击了一个警察训练中心，炸死至少25名警官，并且造成20人受伤。在巴基斯坦的塔利班发言人声称对这起爆炸负责。 +0{$J\s  
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在乌鲁兹甘省省会塔林科特市的官员说，炸弹手进入该城市的警察训练大院时，一群警官正在进行体育活动。当地官员古拉卜.汗说，爆炸已经过去几个小时了，官员仍在试图统计这起攻击造成的伤亡人数。他说，自杀炸弹杀手进入训练场地的时候身穿警察制服。他说，接着这名攻击者引爆了炸弹，当场炸死19名警察。官员们说，其他警官受了重伤。 Z>9uVBE02  
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塔利班发言人在事件发生不久后打电话给当地以及外国媒体工作站声称对攻击负责。 8XS_I{}?  
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阿富汗国防部随后发布声明说，安全部队在鲁斯加省逮捕了三名被怀疑是自杀炸弹杀手的人。声明说，嫌疑人身穿自杀夹克服，而且装备了炸药。 REEs}88);'  
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阿富汗南部始终是塔利班的大本营，也是该国大规模制造鸦片的中心。联合国官员估计，南部七省，包括鲁斯加省，占该国2008年大麻种植总量的98%。 鸦片贸易据信是激进分子收入的一个重要来源，它助长了阿富汗政府内的腐败。目前，这个地区主要由加拿大、英国、荷兰和澳大利亚军队巡逻。但是，美国指挥官建议把计划在今后几个月增派的2万多美国军队的一部分人派往阿富汗南部。 :TPT]q d@  
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今年，联合国估计，走私犯向外走私了大约35亿美元的鸦片，使塔利班分子得到多达5亿美元的收入。但是，总的鸦片生产量比2007年要低。联合国分析人士造成这一现象的原因是鸦片价格的降低以及粮食价格的上涨。官员们说，近年来，鸦片生产过剩，导致今年鸦片价格下跌20%。