( CNN ) -- A 12-year-old suicide bomber killed three other people , including a district council head , and armed attackers shot to death two police officers Sunday , the first day of a Taliban spring offensive . The attacks followed a Taliban declaration Saturday that its spring military operations will focus on attacks against military bases , airbases , convoys , heads of foreign and local companies , and members of the local government . In Shaken district of Paktika province , the 12-year-old boy detonated explosives in his vest to kill district council head Shernawaz Khan and two others , said Mukhlis Afghan , a spokesman for the Paktika provincial governor . The blast also wounded 12 people , Afghan said , adding : `` The suicide attacker 's aim was to target the district council chief . '' In a separate attack , armed men opened fire on police in southern Ghazni province , killing two police officers , provincial police security commander Abdul Hassan said . According to Hassan , two armed Taliban insurgents on a motorbike opened fire on police officers and then fled the area . In its declaration Saturday , the Taliban warned that it also would target members of the High Peace Council , who are influential citizens trying to generate dialogue with the militants . `` All Afghan people should bear in mind to keep away from gatherings , convoys and centers of the enemy so that they will not become harmed during attacks of the Mujahedeen against the enemy , '' the statement said . The Taliban said that `` strict attention '' must be paid to protecting civilians . `` Utilizing all proven military tactics , the operations will focus on usage of advanced weapons against the air and ground forces of the invaders , tip-and-run attacks , and group offensives , city attacks , advanced explosives attacks , effective group and martyrdom seeking attacks by warrior Mujahedeen , '' the statement said . However , the deployment of a young suicide bomber Sunday appeared to contradict a Taliban statement that the insurgents intended to avoid using civilian attackers . `` I would like to announce that ( the ) Islamic Movement is committed to pay extra attention for not arming civilians during their operations on the enemy 's targets across the country , '' Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mojahed said in an e-mail to CNN . The Taliban regime in Afghanistan had been sheltering the al Qaeda terror network when it launched attacks against the United States on September 11 , 2001 . The United States cranked up military operations the next month that led to the toppling of that government . Ever since , international forces have been fighting Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan and attempting to support and build the successor Afghan government . The Taliban announcement comes a day after a NATO official said the alliance anticipates insurgents to begin an extensive round of attacks against U.S. and coalition forces `` in the coming days . '' The officer with NATO 's International Security Assistance Force noted that the alliance has seen similar surges at this time in recent years . The coalition feels that the increased attacks on insurgents have had an impact , and new attacks by insurgents signal their effort to recoup their losses , the officer said . In a statement Saturday addressing the expected escalation in fighting , the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan urged all parties to avoid harming civilians . Staffan de Mistura , head of the mission , called on the Taliban `` to carry out their previously stated decision to avoid civilian casualties . '' `` Parties to the conflict must not deliberately attack , target or kill civilians , or indiscriminately harm them , '' said de Mistura , who was quoted in the statement . `` We call on all parties to take all possible measures to protect civilians , especially in the forthcoming months when we expect , unfortunately , intensified conflict . '' In the 90 days ending April 22 , coalition special forces conducted 1,393 operations , capturing or killing 468 insurgent commanders , and capturing or killing 2,637 lower-level insurgents . This all comes as the Pentagon released its latest report to Congress on the progress in Afghanistan . The military says gains made in Afghanistan over the last half year has created the `` necessary conditions '' to begin transferring control of security to the Afghanistan government in seven areas of the country inhabited by approximately 20 % to 25 % of the population . The latest semi-annual report concludes that insurgent momentum has been halted in much of the country , though the gains are `` fragile and reversible . '' However , the report notes that efforts to fortify government and development was `` slower than security gains '' over the last six months . The total number of security incidents were higher from October 2010 through March 2011 compared with the same period of the winter of 2009-10 , the report said . The report says this is mainly due to increased coalition and Afghan troop presence , which allowed for a higher pace of operations against insurgents ' safe havens . CNN 's Adam Levine , Barbara Starr , Fazel Reshad , Matiullah Mati and Joe Sterling contributed to this report .
A 12-year-old boy detonates a suicide bomb , killing three people . The father of the victim is arrested and charged with murder. The Taliban said Saturday that it would not arm civilians in the offensive .