Afghan bomb 'kills six at market'

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A number of shops were destroyed in the blast

A suicide bomber has killed six people, including a top police official, at a market in south-western Afghanistan, officials say.

The attack took place in the town of Zaranj, the governor of Nimroz province, Ghulam Dastagir Azad, said.

He said most of the victims in the busy marketplace were civilians.

Earlier, the US military said two of its soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday evening.

Insurgents killed

The deputy chief of the highway police and his bodyguard were killed in the attack in Zaranj, Mr Azad said.

A number of shops were also destroyed in the blast.

The governor said earlier reports of 10 dead were incorrect.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast but there have been increasing attacks by the Taleban in the south-west.

In Thursday's attack in Kandahar, which took place in the in town of Maywand, at least one Afghan civilian was also killed and 21 others were wounded.

The US military also said its forces killed five Taleban insurgents in a raid that targeted a compound in the southern province of Zabul.