By Islam Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA): At least 10 people including security personnel were killed and several others wounded in a suicide attack by the Taliban in eastern Helmand province of Afghanistan on Saturday, a government official said.

Helmand provincial governor spokesman Omer Zowak told Anadolu Agency on the phone that the incident took place in front of a Kabul Bank branch in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, where Afghan National Army soldiers and civilians were gathered to receive their salaries.

“So far at least 10 people got killed and around 16 wounded were taken to hospital,” Zowak added.

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahideen claimed responsibility for Saturday’s Lashkar Gah suicide attack.

Helmand is one of the most volatile provinces in Afghanistan. Thousands of civilians have fled the province in recent months due to growing insecurity.

[Photo: Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that broke out after a suicide bombing terrorist attack as security forces cordon the area in Helmand Province, south of Afghanistan on February 11, 2017. Photographer: Muhabiri Abdul Hadi Roshan/AA]