Afghan police say eight people have been killed in a suicide bombing near a hotel frequented by foreigners in the southern city of Kandahar.
A senior police official, Fazel Ahmad Sharzad, says the bomber, who was driving a horse cart, detonated his explosives after being ordered by security personnel to stop moving.
At least three other people, including a police officer, were wounded in the blast.
The explosion blew out several windows in the hotel. It also took place close to a provincial government building. Sharzad says the target of the attack is under investigation.
Earlier, a suspected Taliban commander wanted for a series of recent assassinations was captured during a joint NATO-Afghan operation in Kandahar.
And Canada's Defense Ministry says one of its soldiers was killed by a roadside bomb in Kandahar's Panjwai district Wednesday.
Afghan officials say two civilians were killed in a roadside bombing in Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.