Bomber kills two Americans and five Afghans

A suicide bomber on foot blew himself up outside a compound for security contractors in southern Afghanistan today, killing two Americans and five Afghans, an official and witnesses said.

The bomber hit the men as they came out of the Kandahar compound of the USPI security company, said Rohullah Khan an official with the company. Three others were wounded, he said.

The area where the attack happened is located opposite the Canadian reconstruction team base inside Kandahar city. The blast was the sixth suicide attack in Kandahar in the last nine days.

Near-daily attacks plague Afghanistan’s lawless southern provinces – the former stronghold of the hardline Taliban regime, where the central government wields little power.

Taliban militants have launched a record number of suicide and roadside bombs this year. A growing rebellion, especially in the country’s south and east, has left close to 4,000 people dead.