Suicide Bomber Kills 17 at Afghan Bathhouse

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a bathhouse in southern Afghanistan that killed 17 people and wounded many others.

Sources say the attack Friday, in the city of Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province, was targeting a high-ranking border police commander who was killed in the blast.

In other violence Friday, NATO forces say three coalition soldiers were killed in two separate attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan. NATO did not disclose the identities of the soldiers or the exact locations of the attacks.

The United States has ordered an additional 1,400 Marines to Afghanistan to put further pressure on the Taliban during the current winter campaign.

U.S. officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal newspaper said most of the troops will be deployed to the south, the site of heavy fighting against the Taliban in recent months.

U.S. President Barack Obama said last month that the United States is still on course to start withdrawing some U.S. troops in July, and handing over security to the Afghan government by 2014.

There are currently 97,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, along with some 45,000 troops from other countries.