Afghan suicide attack kills 6, hurts 20 in south

A suicide bomber killed up to six Afghans and wounded 20 others in an attack outside a bank in the southern city of Kandahar as people were waiting to collect their salaries, officials said. "The attack took place in the city of Kandahar near the New Kabul Bank branch, and police and civilians gathered outside the bank to collect their salaries," Javed Faisal, spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor, told AFP. He said policemen and civilians were among the victims. "Tragically, the initial death toll shows we have six dead and 20 wounded in this crowded part of the city, and most of the victims were civilians, and they came to the bank for their daily business activities," a statement from Kandahar media office said. The attack was confirmed by Kandahar media director of the police office, Ahmad Zia Durrani, who said five people were killed and 22 wounded. Durrani said seven of the wounded were policemen and the rest were civilians. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Afghan officials often blame Taliban insurgents who are waging a nearly 12-year war against the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai. Southern Afghanistan is considered a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency and the militants have a strong presence in Kandahar province.