Five killed, 40 injured in suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan's Helmand

As many as five people were killed and about 40 wounded when a suicide bomber targeted an Afghan military convoy on Wednesday morning in Lashkargah city in Helmand province in Afghanistan.

Officials said the bombing took place close to a Madrassa, which is near police headquarters in Lashkargah city.

Of those killed, two were soldiers and three were civilians, Tolo News quoted the provincial governor's spokesman, Omar Zwak as saying.

According to Zwak, the incident happened outside police headquarters, which is close to a Madrassa. He said most of those wounded were students at the Madrassa.

Extensive damage was done to a number of military vehicles that were approaching the police headquarters at the time. As many as three Humvees (The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) were badly damaged in the attack.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack in a Twitter posting.

On August 4, as many as 40 Taliban fighters were killed in a gun battle with Afghan security forces that lasted for 12 hours in the southern Helmand province.

This attack comes after U.S. President Donald Trump has announced its strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia and also pledged to commit U.S. troops to Afghanistan to fight against the resurgent Taliban without announcing a precise number.