Bomber kills shopkeeper and child in Afghanistan

Two people were killed today when a bomb hidden in a scrap metal shop blew up in a market in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

The early-morning blast in the town of Gereshk in Helmand province killed the shopkeeper and a child sitting in a car parked outside the store, said deputy provincial police chief Kamaluddin Sherzad.

Four other people were injured in the explosion.

The attack is the second in as many days in Gereshk.

Yesterday, gunmen killed community council member Jan Mohammad Khan in the town's market, the Helmand governor's office said in a statement.

On the outskirts of the nearby provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, police killed a Taliban deputy commander yesterday, the governor's office said.

Lashkar Gah is one of the first seven areas of the country where Afghan authorities have taken over control of security from international forces.

The city is still frequently targeted by insurgents and the areas around Lashkar Gah remain dangerous.