A suicide blast Saturday evening rocked a market in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, killing two policemen and five civilians, a provincial police chief said.

 

The explosion occurred at around 6:25 PM (1355 GMT) at a busy bazzar in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar as a motorcycle rider exploded himself, Sayed Aqa Saqib, Kandahar's police chief, told Xinhua News Agency over telephone.

 

The officer earlier said the seven deaths were all civilians.

 

Eight policemen and 21 civilians were also wounded in the explosion, said Saqib, who however offered no more details.

 

No one or group claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

People in Afghanistan Saturday were still celebrating Eid festival, starting on Friday to mark the end of fasting month Ramadan.

 

Kandahar, a known birthplace for Taliban movement, has witnessed continuous militants-related violence, since the Afghan Taliban regime was overthrown by the U.S. invasion in late 2001.

 

Rising violence has claimed over 5,100 lives in war-torn Afghanistan this year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2007)