Provincial officials in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand say a child and five members of Afghanistan's national security forces were killed on February 11 by a Taliban suicide car bomber in the provincial capital of Helmand.
According to the office of Helmand Province's governor, 20 people were injured in the attack.
Five of the injured were Afghan soldiers and 15 were civilians -- including four women, three children, and eight men.
Omar Zwak, a spokesman for Helmand's governor, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that the suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden car near a branch of Kabul Bank in Lashkar Gah and detonated the explosives.
Zwak said the attack occurred next to an Afghan army vehicle as soldiers arrived at the bank to collect their pay.
The Taliban declared responsibility for the suicide bombing and claimed the casualty toll was higher than the official statements from Helmand officials.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yosuf Ahmadi claimed on Twitter that the total number of dead and would was 39 soldiers and officers.
With additional reporting by by middleastpress.com, Reuters, dpa, and Tolo News
