KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A bomb hidden in a parked motorcycle exploded at a market in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing four people, officials said.
All those killed in the midday blast in Spin Boldak, on the Pakistani border, were civilians, said Zalmai Ayubi, a spokesman for the Kandahar provincial government.
Eight people were wounded in the explosion, including one border police officer, he said.
Civilians have born the brunt of the violence in Afghanistan, despite insurgent claims that they are targeting government and military installations. Last year was the deadliest on record for civilians in the Afghan war, with 3,021 killed as insurgents ratcheted up violence with suicide attacks and roadside bombs, according to U.N. figures.
Taliban-affiliated militants were responsible for more than three-quarters of the civilian deaths in 2011.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack in Spin Boldak, which is often the case when civilians are killed.
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