Suicide bomber 'kills 45' at Afghan match

A suicide bomber has killed at least 45 people at a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.

A spokesman for the governor of Paktika province told the BBC that the attacker had detonated the bomb amid a crowd of people gathering for a game.

About 60 people were also wounded in the bombing in Yahyakhail district.

It came after Afghan MPs approved security deals allowing Nato and US soldiers to remain after the withdrawal of most foreign troops next month.

The total number of soldiers in the new Nato force will be about 12,000. Their mission has been defined as training, advising and assisting the Afghan security forces.

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Richard Galpin in Kabul: "It is one of the worst incidents so far this year"
There will also be a separate US-led force dealing with the remnants of al-Qaeda.

It emerged on Saturday, however, that President Barack Obama has approved guidelines to allow US troops to fight the Taliban and provide air support for Afghan missions. BBC News