A suicide car bomb exploded near a bank killing at least four people and wounding 22 others Saturday in Lashkar Gah, the capital of south Afghanistan’s volatile Helmand province.
At least one child was known to have died in the blast, police said, adding that policemen and soldiers were among the wounded after the bomber struck as dozens queued to receive their salaries ahead of a religious festival.
No-one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, although the Taliban have carried out similar attacks in the past targeting government employees collecting their pay.
“So far, we have information that four people have been killed and 22 others injured in the suicide blast,” said Ismail Khan, an official at the city’s police headquarters.
“Among the injured are 10 soldiers and four policemen. The rest are civilians — one seven-year-old girl and three more young people have been killed,” he said.
Deputy police chief Kamaluddin Sherzad said: “The blast took place near Kabul Bank and the telecommunications office some 50 metres from the governor’s office.”
He added that many police and soldiers had gathered at Kabul Bank to collect their salaries ahead of the Eid festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, although it was not clear exactly what the bomber was targeting.
