Afghanistan: Sixteen dead in Kandahar blast

Sixteen people, including children, died when their vehicle was blown up in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, the Interior Ministry says.

The attack took place in Arghandab district, an unstable area with a strong Taliban presence.

This is the latest of several deadly attacks.

The UN says May was the worst month for civilian casualties in Afghanistan since 2007.

Earlier, at least three people - including the commander of a rapid reaction police unit -p were killed and 12 injured in a suicide attack in Khost province, in the east of the country.

Militants in Afghanistan frequently target the police and military.

Afghanistan suicide bomber kills eight in Kandahar

A suicide bomber in a horse-drawn cart has killed eight people in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, police say.

Police officers apparently tried to stop the bomber but he was able to detonate his explosives near a hotel and local government office.

Five of the dead were in a nearby car, with three pedestrians also killed. The care was destroyed, leading police to initially think the bomb was inside it.

Previous attacks in Kandahar province have been blamed on Taliban insurgents.

Security guards at the hotel became suspicious of the man and ordered him to stop.

Reports said he was fired on by the guards.

The target of the bombing was not immediately known, said deputy provincial police chief Fazel Ahmad Sharzad.