Afghan police say at least 5 killed in car bombing near hotel in southern Kandahar city

Afghan police: Bomb kills 5 near hotel in south

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Police in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar say at least five people have been killed by a car bomb near a hotel frequented by foreigners.

Mohammad Nabi, a police officer at the site, said two security guards and three civilians were killed in the Thursday evening bombing near the Continental Hotel.

The blast blew out some windows in the hotel and damaged several rooms. The explosion also was near the Kandahar provincial council office. It was not clear what was the bomb’s intended target.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

KABUL (AP) — The NATO-led military mission in Afghanistan says a Canadian soldier has been killed in the southern part of the country.

A statement from the International Security Assistance Force says the serviceman was killed by a homemade bomb on Wednesday. It did not give further details.

In Paktika province, two civilians were killed Thursday when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, said Jahanzid Slimankhil, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

ISAF also reported that joint Afghan-international operations detained more than a dozen suspected militants throughout the country, including a suspected Taliban commander in the southern city of Kandahar.