At least six people were killed and dozens of others wounded when a minibus exploded on Tuesday near a security checkpoint in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, officials said.
Daoud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province, told Al Jazeera that the minibus, packed with explosives, blew up in a mechanic's yard in the city's main market before it could be defused.
"Those killed are all civilians since the mechanic's shop is near a residential area," he said.
Nematullah Barak, head of Mirwais hospital in Kandahar, said several wounded children were also brought in to the hospital for treatment.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Hundreds of people have been killed in high-profile attacks carried out by the Taliban and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group since the beginning of this year.
At least 11 Afghan schoolchildren were killed in Kandahar province last month when a suicide car bomber hit a convoy of Romanian troops patrolling the area as part of the US-led NATO forces.
In one of the deadliest attacks, at least 29 people, including nine journalists, were killed after two explosions claimed by the ISIL hit the capital, Kabul, last month.
Increase in attacks have been observed ahead of the long-delayed parliamentary and district council elections scheduled for October 20 this year.
