Afghan Air Force Pilot Killed in Kabul Bombing; Taliban Claim Responsibility

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - An Afghan Air Force pilot was killed by a bomb in a Kabul district on Saturday, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Taliban.

Hamidullah Azimi was killed when a sticky bomb attached to his vehicle went off, officials said, adding that five civilians were injured in the explosion. Azimi was trained in flying U.S.-made UH60 Black Hawk helicopters, and he had been working with the Afghan Air Force for almost four years, Afghan Air Force Commander Abdul Fatah Eshaqzai told Reuters. He had moved to Kabul with his family one year ago because of security threats, Eshaqzai said.