A terrorist blew up a car bomb at the German Consulate in Northern Balkh province of Afghanistan on Thursday, according to local police.

Police chief Abdul Razak quaderi said that 3 people were killed and 42 people were injured, including three Afghan policemen. The explosion occurred about 10:45 p.m. in Mazar-I-Sharif, the provincial capital. German diplomats were not injured.

Quaderi described the explosion as "very powerful." The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an email. The representative of the Taliban Zabiulla Mujahid said that the goal was to destroy the Consulate, and he called Germany the "invader."

Mazar-e-Sharif is one of the most peaceful cities in Afghanistan. It is also one of the most populous and developed cities in the North of Afghanistan. The city is a stronghold of the Taliban. The attack occurred after 7 days after activated a joint Afghan-American fight against the Taliban in the Northern region of Kunduz which killed 30 civilians and two American soldiers and 26 fighters.

"I deeply regret the loss of innocent lives, regardless of the circumstances," said General John W. Nicholson, the commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, in a statement on Saturday. The troops came under fire while training, advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts to clarify the position of the Taliban and violations of the organization's activities in Kunduz.

These deaths happened on the same day, the Taliban fired mortars at a wedding party in Faryab province in Northern Afghanistan, killing at least 7 people. At least 13 people were injured.
sections: Politics, World News, Accidents, Accidents