At least 6 killed, 30 injured after bomb in minibus explodes in Afghanistan's Kandahar

A bomb in a minibus exploded near a security checkpoint in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Tuesday causing numerous casualties, officials said, as attacks continue during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.

The blast, near one of the city's main markets, sent a huge cloud of dust and smoke into the air.

Nematullah Barak, head of Mirwais hospital in Kandahar, said six dead and more 30 wounded, including several children, had so far brought in but more casualties were arriving.

A statement from the NDS intelligence service said the minibus, packed with explosives, was discovered in a large open yard of mechanics workshops but blew up before it could be defused.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in high-profile bomb attacks since the beginning of the year, many in the capital Kabul but provincial cities have also been hit as the Taliban, seeking to reimpose hardline Islamic rule, have stepped up fighting across the country.

Kandahar province, on the border with Pakistan, is a major centre of opium cultivation and a stronghold of the Taliban but the city itself has recently been relatively secure.