18 killed as car bomb rocks eastern Afghan town: official

At least 18 persons were killed Saturday when a suicide car bombing struck a crowded area in Afghanistan's eastern Khost city, a local security official said.

Among the killed were 10 security guards and eight civilians, the source said.

Target of the attack was local off-duty security guards, known as Campaign Forces, the source told Xinhua anonymously.

The blast occurred near a taxi station in southern outskirts where the guards were arriving after a vocation to go to Camp Chapman, a military base run by the United States and NATO forces on the outskirts of the city, he said.

Provincial police chief Gen. Faizullah Ghairat told Xinhua that the police have launched an investigation into the incident which occurred in the morning and details will be shared with the media later on the day.

About six people, including two children, were also injured by the attack in the city, capital of Khost province bordering Pakistan.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Late last month, four members of Campaign Forces were killed and six school children wounded in similar attack near the Camp Chapman for which Taliban militant group had claimed responsibility.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since April 28 when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive in different places of the country, which had claimed hundreds of lives including militants, security personnel and civilians.

The attack came on the day as Afghans mark the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month during which the faithful avoid eating and drinking from dawn to dusk.