KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban took responsibility Monday for a bomb blast in Afghanistan that killed six American troops, while other militants launched suicide attacks on two police headquarters that left 19 people dead, according to officials.

German Brig. Gen. Gunter Katz, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said the six Americans were killed on Sunday when their armored vehicle struck a bomb planted in eastern Afghanistan. He said a seventh American soldier was killed in a separate insurgent attack in the south.

The deadly attacks on a particularly violent day showed the militants' resilience, though the target date of NATO's handover of security responsibility to local forces is less than 18 months away.