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Afghan suicide attack kills three Several dead in Afghan bomb blast
(20 minutes later)
At least three people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up near a convoy of policemen in southern Afghanistan, police say. Police in Afghanistan say a suicide bomber has killed at least three people in the capital of Helmand province, where British troops are based.
Reports say at least one policeman was among the five also wounded in the attack in Lashkar Gah town, capital of the restive Helmand province. The attack, reportedly carried out by a teenage boy, targeted a police building in Lashkar Gar, police say.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, the police said. Reports say between three and five people were killed and up to 10 people, including policemen, were injured.
More than 3,000 people have been killed this year as Afghan and foreign forces battle Taleban fighters in Afghanistan.More than 3,000 people have been killed this year as Afghan and foreign forces battle Taleban fighters in Afghanistan.
Provincial police chief Mohammed Hussain Andiwal told the AFP news agency that three civilians were killed, and five others, including one policeman were wounded when a man blew himself up in Lashkar Gah. The deputy chief of traffic police said that from the remains of the suicide bomber he appeared to have been a boy of between 15 and 16 years.
The police said the bomber's target appeared to be nearby convoy of policemen. Rising violence
Suicide bombings have soared in Afghanistan in recent months. The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul says there has been an increase in suicide bomb attacks and explosives left by the side of the road in Helmand province, targeting both the Afghan national security forces and international troops.
Helmand, a Taleban stronghold, has seen some of the worst of the violence. In September and October this year there were 10 suicide attacks across five different towns in Helmand.
In September, 29 people were killed when a man riding a motorised rickshaw blew himself up next to a police convoy in the area. British forces have their headquarters in Lashkar Gar.
A spokesman there said there had been evidence in the past of teenagers carrying out suicide attacks as, he said, they were easier to manipulate and corrupt than older people.
Helmand, a Taleban stronghold, has seen some of the worst of the violence recently.
This week US forces claimed to have killed about 80 insurgents close to the Taleban-held town of Musa Qala but this cannot be independently verified.
Neither can reports by local people that up to 15 civilians were killed in the incident.
Nato forces have said up to 50 insurgents were killed or injured in a six-hour battle in neighbouring Uruzgan province. This cannot be independently verified.