A car bombing killed six people on Saturday in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand, an official said.

Omer Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor, told Anadolu Agency the attack occurred in Naad-e-Ali district.

"A suicide attacker was shot dead before he could reach his target [an army unit], but the car bombing martyred two soldiers and four civilians, and nine other people were wounded," he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed claimed responsibility for the attack in a tweet.

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani reiterated his call for peace to the Taliban. “Not every Taliban wants to fight, this war is imposed on them by a minority. If you are Afghans and Muslim, acknowledge peace," he said during an event held in capital Kabul.

Lying south to the Taliban’s birthplace Kandahar, Helmand remains one of the most insecure provinces with militants controlling large swathes of land, despite losing some parts to the Afghan forces recently. </s> KABUL (Reuters) – As many as 13 people, including both Afghan army soldiers and civilians, were killed and 18 wounded by a car bomb in the southern province of Helmand on Sunday, officials said. </s> A car bombing outside a sports stadium in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province on Friday killed 13 people and wounded 40 others, an official said.

Aminullah Abed, the chief of the province's public health department, said the casualties were received at a hospital in the province's capital, Lashkar Gah, with many of the wounded burnt beyond recognition.

The explosion occurred after Afghan new year celebrations were winding down and revelers were on their way home, he added.

Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor, said 14 people were killed and 45 others wounded.

Provincial chief of police Abdul Ghafar Safi said the blast was carried out by a suicide bomber and that the target was civilians. No high ranking officials were present or harmed at the stadium, he added.

The office of Afghan president Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning the "brutal terrorist attack." </s> KABUL—A car bomb killed 34 people in the southern Afghanistan city of Lashkar Gah on Thursday, according to an Afghan official, the latest in a string of attacks in Helmand province where Taliban militants are closing in on the provincial capital.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, which targeted a branch of the New Kabul Bank, said Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor. The group has carried out attacks... </s> At least six people were killed, including two Afghan soldiers, when a car bomb exploded Saturday in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, an Afghan official said.

The explosive-laden vehicle targeted an Afghan National Army base in Nadali District, Mohammad Radmanish, deputy spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, told CNN. A woman was among the civilians killed, he said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series to hit the country since the start of the year. </s> Story highlights Taliban claim responsibility for attack

Civilians and police among victims of suicide car bombing

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) At least 30 people were killed Thursday in a car bomb attack outside a bank in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, officials said.

In a statement to journalists, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the group was behind the attack.

A suicide bomber driving an explosive-packed car targeted the New Kabul Bank branch in Lashkar Gah, said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for Helmand province.

"Both civilians and police are among the victims who had gone to the bank to collect their salaries," said Mohammad Karim Atal, the head of the local provincial council.

About 60 others were injured during the blast and were hospitalized, Zwak said. </s> KANDAHAR: A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and wounded several more in an attack on a convoy of Afghan soldiers in Helmand province late Sunday, an official said.

"A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-filled car as the Afghan National Army convoy passed a small market in Nawa District of Helmand," Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor told.

He added that civilians and forces personnel were among the dead while more than a dozen others had been wounded.

A source working at a nearby hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity that the bodies of 15 victims had been brought to the hospital. Another 19 injured were also admitted, he added.

"The majority of the dead belong to Afghan forces and most of the wounded are civilians," the source said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message sent to journalists. </s> KANDAHAR - A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and wounded several more in an attack on a convoy of Afghan soldiers in Helmand province late Sunday, an official said.

"A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-filled car as the Afghan National Army convoy passed a small market in Nawa District of Helmand," Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, told AFP.

He added that civilians and forces personnel were among the dead while more than a dozen others had been wounded.

A source working at a nearby hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity that the bodies of 15 victims had been brought to the hospital. Another 19 injured were also admitted, he added.

"The majority of the dead belong to Afghan forces and most of the wounded are civilians," the source said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message sent to journalists. </s> A car bomb exploded outside a bank in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand on Thursday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 50, Reuters reported. Among those dead were civilians and security forces waiting to collect their salaries.

Helmand police spokesman Salam Afghan said that the bomber had donated his explosives at the gate of the new Kabul Bank branch, reported BBC. Armed attackers have entered the bank and a gun battle is on with security forces, reported Tolo News.

Al Jazeera quoted Omar Zwak, spokesperson for the Helmand governor as saying that the blast took place around 12 noon local time (1.30 pm Indian Standard Time). No group has taken responsibility for the attack so far, though Islamic State and the Taliban have carried out attacks near banks in the past, where security forces, police and government officials collect their pay.

On Sunday, Taliban suicide bombers targeted police headquarters in Gardez city, killing several people and injuring many others. In May, at least three people were killed and many wounded in an attack on a bank in the same city.
A car bomb in Helmand Province kills up to 13 people, including Afghan Army soldiers and civilians, and wounds 18 others, according to government spokesman Omar Zwak.