Afghan authorities say back-to-back explosions have killed as many as eight civilians in the eastern province of Khost.
Officials
say at least 40 people were hurt Monday in explosions outside the
electric company headquarters in the provincial capital, Khost City.
Witnesses
say the first blast was small. They say the second explosion was
caused by a suicide bomber on a motorbike and was much greater in
intensity.
It is not clear who was responsible for the attack, or who they were targeting.
Also
in Khost Monday, NATO says its troops shot and killed an Afghan
civilian in his car. The international force says the car failed to
heed a warning to stop.
Hours earlier, the Taliban claimed
responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed three Afghan soldiers
in southern Kandahar province.
Authorities say five soldiers and two civilians were wounded when the bomber rammed a car into a military convoy.
In
the nearby province of Nangarhar, an explosion went off at an
ammunition storage area Monday, killing a child and wounding 20
others. Authorities are investigating whether the explosion was an
accident.
Afghan soldiers supported by international troops have
been fighting the Taliban since 2001, when a U.S.-led invasion pushed
the hardline Islamist group from power.
The U.S. has made Afghanistan its top military priority and is sending 21,000 more troops and trainers to the country.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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