At least 20 dead as bombers strike at airport in most deadly attack for weeks
A pair of suicide bombers have struck outside the airport in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing at least 20 civilians, according to officials. The incident is one of the worst in recent weeks.
Four provincial governors from the south were at a meeting at the sprawling Nato base at the airport when the attacks took place, General Abdul Hameed, Afghan army commander for the southern region, told Reuters.
A bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up in a parking lot near the base, which was packed with lorry drivers and other civilians waiting to get in. A few minutes later, as people gathered at the site of the blast, another bomber walked into the crowd and detonated his explosives.
Violence has increased in Afghanistan since the Taliban began a spring offensive in April, vowing to target the government and security forces as well as the 130,000 foreign troops in the country. Kandahar has seen some of the worst attacks.