News - Afghanistan

Two staff of Afghanistan's intelligence agency were killed and as many as 12 civilians were injured Monday in a suicide car-bomb attack on the agency's office in southern Helmand province, local officials said.

The blast happened around 2:10PM when a suicide attacker in a van detonated his explosives while trying to drive into the National Directorate of Security (NDS) provincial headquarters in Helmand's capital Lashkar Gah, said Helmand spokesperson Ahmad Zirak.

Two Afghan police officers and another NDS officer were also injured in the attack, officials said.

Helmand hospital officials confirmed that two NDS staff were killed in the attack and around 16 others were injured in the attack and taken to the hospital.

Officials added that most of the victims were civilians.

The NDS Helmand office is located in the Safian area of Lashkar Gah.

No group including the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.