Kandahar:
A suicide bomb hit the southern Afghan city of Kandahar today, the interior ministry in Kabul said, giving no word on possible casualties.
"We know that there has been a suicide bombing in Kandahar city but we have no further details yet," interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP.
An AFP reporter at the site said the blast took place inside Kandahar's customs office. The reporter saw dozens of US soldiers sealing off the customs office and nearby areas.
Several helicopters hovered overhead and at least one landed inside the walled compound, which could indicate that it was evacuating casualties, the reporter said.
Shopkeepers in a nearby street told AFP that they saw foreign soldiers near the compound. The US military and the associated NATO-led force could not be reached for immediate comment.
Suicide attacks are a common tactic of the Taliban and other insurgents attempting to topple the pro-US Kabul administration.
Kandahar was the scene of a major anti-Taliban offensive by US troops last year.
Continuing operations are aimed at rooting out Taliban and other militants from Kandahar one of the most troubled areas of the country before a planned security handover set to begin this spring.