Bomb in Afghan market kills 2 civilians

A bomb hidden in a scrap metal shop blew up in a market in southern Afghanistan on Monday, killing two civilians, officials said.

The early morning blast in the town of Gereshk in Helmand province killed the shopkeeper and a child sitting in a car parked outside the store, said deputy provincial police chief Kamaluddin Sherzad. Four people were wounded in the explosion.

The attack is the second in as many days in Gereshk. On Sunday, gunmen killed community council member Jan Mohammad Khan in the town's market, the Helmand governor's office said in a statement.

On the outskirts of the nearby provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, police killed a Taliban deputy commander on Sunday, the governor's office said.

Lashkar Gah is one of the first seven areas of the country that Afghan authorities have take over control of security from international forces. The city is still frequently targeted by insurgents and the areas around Lashkar Gah remain dangerous.

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