A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into an Afghan government convoy Thursday in southern Kandahar, wounding an Afghan minister.
Kandahar's governor, Asadullah Khalid, said the nation's information and culture minister, Karim Khurram, was wounded in the attack. Three civilians were killed.
Taleban militants claimed responsibility. They said the attacker was targeting a vehicle regularly used by Governor Khalid. The governor said he was not in the car at the time of the attack.
This was the third blast in Kandahar today. Afghan officials say seven police officers were killed and several others wounded in two roadside bombings in the southern province.
The series of bomb attacks comes just days after a U.S.-led raid killed top Taleban commander Mullah Dadullah.
Also Thursday in the south, NATO officials said eight Taleban militants were killed in air strikes in Helmand province.
And elsewhere, a car carrying the police chief of northern Badakhshan province struck a roadside bomb. A local official says the blast wounded the police chief and killed one of his bodyguards.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
