KABUL: A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people and wounded four others on Wednesday in an attack on a bus carrying staff from an appeal court west of the Afghan capital, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The suicide attack came on the same day the Taliban announced a new leader to succeed Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike at the weekend.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack on staff from the judicial system was in response to the Afghan government’s decision earlier this month to execute six Taliban prisoners on death row. Other attacks would follow, he said.

“We will continue on this path,” he said in a statement.

Taliban claim responsibility

The decision by President Ashraf Ghani to execute the prisoners on death row was taken as part of a tougher policy towards the Taliban following a suicide attack by the insurgent movement which killed at least 64 people in Kabul.

An interior ministry spokesman said 10 people had been killed and four wounded in Wednesday’s attack, while the Taliban said 22 people had been killed or wounded.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2016