KABUL A teenaged bomber on Thursday targeted a Kabul auditorium packed with people watching a drama condemning suicide attacks and being staged at a French cultural center, killing a German man and wounding 16 people, officials and a witness said. Police in Afghanistan's capital say a suicide... (Associated Press) 
 
 Afghanistan's security forces personnel patrol near the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014.  Story highlights A German national has been killed in the attack, a Kabul police spokesman says 
 
 A suicide bomber detonates explosives during a play called "Silence after the Explosion" 
 
 The attack occurred inside a French-funded high school in central Kabul 
 
 The Taliban claim responsibility for the attack, a spokesman says 
 
 A suicide bomber detonated explosives Thursday inside a French-funded school in Kabul during a play that condemns suicide attacks, leading to deaths and numerous injuries, the French foreign minister said. Police in Afghanistan's capital said a suicide bomber has killed Afghan soldiers... (Associated Press) 
 
 Afghanistan's security forces gather in front of the main gate of the French Cultural Center located at a high school, which was attacked by a suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 11,... (Associated Press) 
 
 French security forces stand in front of the main gate of the French Cultural Center located at a high school, which was attacked by a suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014. It was the first attack on a foreign target in the Afghan capital in more than a week and came after a series of insurgent bombings in the past month targeted foreigners, killing a British embassy security and three members of a South African family. The venue was heavily guarded during the event, according to Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi, who added that the bomber may have hidden explosives in his underwear to pass through security. General Ayoub Salangi, head of the Interior Ministry while the cabinet is being finalised, said the suspected theater bomber appeared to have been about 17 years old and detonated his explosives at the venue during an early evening performance. "The attack is particularly perfidious because it happened at a cultural institute where Afghans and helpers from the international community come together for friendly exchanges and because it is directed against those people who are supporting the country in building a better future," Steinmeier said. The United Nations Security Council condemned the attack "in the strongest terms," called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, and reiterated that "no terrorist act can reverse the path towards Afghan-led peace, democracy and stability in Afghanistan." French President Francois Hollande said he condemned the "odious attack" and extended France's solidarity to the victims and their families. "By targeting this place of dialogue," Hollande said, "it is the culture ... that terrorists have targeted." It was not clear exactly how many or whether the suicide bomber was among the fatalities, though Fabius did say that no French citizens were among the casualties. At the time of the attack, the center was hosting a musical play entitled, "Heartbeat: Silence After the Explosion," written and performed by the local Azdar Theatre Company. One eyewitness said that the bomber walked into the cultural center's amphitheater as she was leaving and detonated his explosives inside the building. The French government said in a statement that "several" people were killed in the attack and "many" more injured, but none of the fatalities were French nationals. "There was a big explosion and we just ran from the stage. Taliban militants have stepped up a campaign of violence this year to take advantage of uncertainty and weakness besetting Afghanistan's security forces as they prepare to take over the war on the insurgency, now in its 13th year. "The suicide bomber was on foot," said Hashmat Stanikzai, spokesman for the Kabul provincial police chief. The Taliban -- the Islamist extremist group fighting against Afghanistan's ruling government and firmly opposed by various Western powers -- claimed responsibility, according to spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
– The Taliban pulled off a deadly suicide bombing in Kabul yesterday with a cruel twist: The blast took place during a play condemning suicide bombers, reports CNN. Authorities say the teenaged bomber set off his explosives during a performance of Heartbeat: Silence After the Explosion at the French Cultural Centre, which is located in a French-run high school, reports AP. A German national and several others were killed, though the exact numbers were unclear. Reuters quotes a Taliban spokesman who says the play was meant "to insult Islamic values and spread propaganda about our jihad operations, especially on suicide attacks."