A suicide bomber walked into a local government office in southern Afghanistan Monday and blew himself up, killing eight people.
Among the dead are four policemen and four civilians. The attack occurred in Nad Ali district of Afghanistan's opium producing heartland of Helmand province.
Taleban insurgents have vowed to step up their attacks against Afghan and international troops during the holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is appealing for the release of an aid worker kidnapped just south of the capital, Kabul, on Saturday.
An official with the interim government of Bangladesh said in a statement Monday the abducted man's only mission in Afghanistan is humanitarian. The Bangladeshi national was taken from his office in Logar province by unidentified armed men.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.