Suicide bombing kills 3 civilians in S. Afghanistan

A suicide car bombing targeting a NATO military convoy killed at least three civilians on Sunday in Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan, a local police officer told Xinhua.

Four other civilians were injured in the blast, which occurred at around 11:00 a.m. (0630 GMT) in Kandahar city, the provincial capital, said the police officer at the site, who refused to give his name.

A Xinhua reporter saw a NATO vehicle was damaged and some Afghan policemen were guarding the site, but no NATO soldiers were staying there.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of NATO forces, Maj. Luke Knittig, confirmed with Xinhua that there was a "large explosion" in Kandahar city against a NATO military convoy.

"Initial reports said there were no confirmed casualties of NATO soldiers," he said.

However, he said that according to information from the Afghan Interior Ministry, three civilians were killed and four others injured in the blast.

Kandahar province has been a hotbed of Taliban and other militants, who target foreign and government troops frequently.

Because of inferiority in military equipment and tactics, Taliban and other insurgents have determined to carry out suicide bombings towards foreign and government targets.

Due to rising Taliban-linked violence this year, Afghanistan has plunged into the worst spate of bloodshed since the Taliban regime was toppled down nearly five years ago.

Over 3,800 people, mostly Taliban militants, have been killed in this volatile country this year.

Source: Xinhua