Several dead in Afghan bomb blast

Police in Afghanistan say a suicide bomber has killed at least three people in the capital of Helmand province, where British troops are based.

The attack, reportedly carried out by a teenage boy, targeted a police building in Lashkar Gar, police say.

Reports say between three and five people were killed and up to 10 people, including policemen, were injured.

More than 3,000 people have been killed this year as Afghan and foreign forces battle Taleban fighters in Afghanistan.

The deputy chief of traffic police said that from the remains of the suicide bomber he appeared to have been a boy of between 15 and 16 years.

Rising violence

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul says there has been an increase in suicide bomb attacks and explosives left by the side of the road in Helmand province, targeting both the Afghan national security forces and international troops.

In September and October this year there were 10 suicide attacks across five different towns in Helmand.

British forces have their headquarters in Lashkar Gar.

A spokesman there said there had been evidence in the past of teenagers carrying out suicide attacks as, he said, they were easier to manipulate and corrupt than older people.

Helmand, a Taleban stronghold, has seen some of the worst of the violence recently.

This week US forces claimed to have killed about 80 insurgents close to the Taleban-held town of Musa Qala but this cannot be independently verified.

Neither can reports by local people that up to 15 civilians were killed in the incident.

Nato forces have said up to 50 insurgents were killed or injured in a six-hour battle in neighbouring Uruzgan province. This cannot be independently verified.