Authorities check out vehicle used in suicide bombing in Kabul, 22 Dec. 2006

Police in Afghanistan say at least eight people have been wounded in a suicide bomb attack that targeted a member of the Afghan parliament.

Authorities say a vehicle full of explosives was detonated Friday in Kabul, near legislator Padshah Khan Zadran's car.

Zadran survived the attack, but three of his body guards and five civilian passers-by were wounded.

No further details were available.

The blast was the latest suicide attack in the heavily-guarded capital since October.

Meanwhile, authorities say five Afghan police officers were killed Friday when a roadside bomb blast ripped through their vehicle near Tirinkot, the capital of Uruzgan province.

Afghanistan has seen a sharp rise in insurgent violence in recent months.

Last week, NATO and Afghan forces launched an operation in southern Afghanistan to fight Taleban insurgents.

The Taleban are mostly active in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan.

The Taleban are mostly active in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.