A suicide bomber killed a policeman and wounded eight other people in southern Afghanistan, while two NATO-led soldiers were also killed in the same region, officials said Sunday.
The suicide bomber tried to enter the house of police commander for regional command in Lashkargah, the provincial capital of southern Helmand province, but was stopped by commander's bodyguards, provincial police chief Mohammad Hussain Andewal said.
"As the policemen were trying to arrest the bomber, he exploded himself, killing himself and a policeman," Andewal said, adding that two other policemen and six civilians including two children were wounded in the attack.
Two NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers were killed and another was wounded during operations in southern region, ISAF said in a statement.
Despite the cold temperatures, Taliban militants continue to mount attacks on Afghan and international forces, which mostly include suicide and roadside bombing.
After the bloodiest year in 2007 since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, Afghan and NATO officials say they expect an upsurge in Taliban-led violence this year. ( Dpa )