Kandahar, January 13: A truck bomb has exploded near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, with initial reports indicating that several people have been injured, a regional official said on Wednesday.
The bombing in Daman district, about 10 kilometres (six miles) east of Kandahar, the capital of Kandahar province, bore the hallmarks of a Taliban attack, though the militants usually use smaller passenger vehicles, said district chief Sirajuddin.
“A truck filled with explosives blew up. We don’t know yet if it was a suicide attack or if the truck was detonated (remotely),” he told AFP.
He said initial reports indicated that two police officers and several civilians were wounded. Investigations were underway, he said.
Several cars and the district administration building were also damaged, said Sirajuddin, who uses only one name.
Kandahar province, along with neighbouring Helmand, is seething with an insurgency which has intensified in the past year as international and Afghan forces have taken the fight to the Taliban.
The 113,000 international troops leading the fight under US and NATO command are being supplemented with another 40,000 over the course of this year.
–Agencies