Four killed in Afghanistan blast

A car bomb has exploded outside a bank in a major southern Afghanistan city, killing four people, officials said.

The bomb went off as soldiers and police officers were lined up to collect their salaries at the bank in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, said Daoud Ahmadi, a provincial government spokesman.

All of those killed were civilians, he said.

More than 20 people were wounded in the blast, including 10 soldiers and six police officers, Mr Ahmadi said.

No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Less than three hours later, two explosions hit the south's largest city - Kandahar.

The first blast in Kandahar was a car bomb outside the city's main hospital that wounded seven people, said Kandahar police chief General Abdul Raziq.

Meanwhile, a suicide car bomber blew up his vehicle near a police compound in the city, wounding 16 people, he added. AP