2 killed, 9 injured in southern Afghan suicide bombing

QALAT, Afghanistan, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians were killed while nine people wounded after a suicide car bomber targeted a police convoy in Qalat city, the provincial capital of southern Afghan province of Zabul on Monday, police said.

"The car bomb was detonated at around 10:00 a.m. local time ( 0530 GMT) close to provincial police station. The likely target of the attack was deputy provincial police chief General Ghulam Jilani Khan. Luckily Khan escaped unhurt," provincial police chief General Ghulam Sakhi Rough Liwani told Xinhua.

Two civilians passing by died on the spot along the attacker, the source said, adding "the injured included four civilians and five policemen of the convoy." The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals by ambulances and police vehicles.

Several vehicles and shops were damaged as a result of the explosion in the city, 340 km south of Afghan capital of Kabul.

No group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack, but the Taliban routinely claim responsibility for such attacks.

The Taliban has intensified attacks over the past couple of months as the Afghan forces are taking over the responsibility for security in the country.

Last Thursday, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) assumed the full security charges from NATO-led troops after a four-year security transition