LOC15:26
12:26 GMT
ISLAMABAD, March 18 (KUNA) -- A truck bomb targeting senior provincial officials on Wednesday killed at least seven civilians and wounded around 46 others in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, said officials.
Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammad Jan Rasolyar told media that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives-rigged truck near a complex that houses the governor, the head of the provincial council and the deputy provincial police chief in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.
He confirmed that all three officials survived the attack but seven civilians were killed and 46 others were wounded in the attack. "The attack was targeted at a gathering of senior government officials, civil society members and journalists in a hall for a seminar on human trafficking and kidnapping," he added.
Provincial police chief Nabi Jan Mullahkheil said that the wounded include provincial government spokesman, Omar Zhwak and local district governor Haji Fatihullah. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, said local media. (end)
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