At least 1 killed in car bombing in South Afghan province

At least one Afghan policeman was killed after a car bombing rocked Lashkar Gah city, capital of southern Helmand province, on Monday, a local official said.

"A terrorist rammed a car bomb into a moving police humvee vehicle in Darwaz-e-Kandahar locality of the city. As we knew, one policeman died and two others were wounded by the explosion," a provincial police official told Xinhua.

The official who declined to be named said,"We have no more details, but we will try to get more information and provide details later in the day."

Witnesses said they heard a heavy explosion at around 11:00 a.m. local time in the area which is located in the eastern edge of the city, 555 km south of Afghan capital of Kabul.

Security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures.

Unofficial sources said a senior provincial police official was travelling in the targeted vehicle to visit and monitor an ongoing military operation along Helmand-Kandahar highway.

The road was shut and several vehicles were intercepted by armed militants earlier on Monday.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban militant group has launched similar attacks in the past.

source: Xinhua