Afghan blast kills girl, woman

KABUL, Afghanistan – Two bombs hidden in push carts exploded less than a half hour apart in one of Afghanistan’s most dangerous provinces, underscoring the continued security threat despite years of trying to bring peace to the unstable south.

The double explosions in Helmand province Sunday were just two in a series of attacks reported over the weekend across the country.

They came a day after a U.N. report painted a grim picture of the security situation in Afghanistan, saying roadside bombings and assassinations have soared in the first four months of the year. In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on “Fox News Sunday” that while the war is a “tough pull,” momentum was shifting toward the U.S. troops and their Afghan and international partners.

The double bombing occurred early Sunday in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. The first explosion in front of a bank killed a young girl and a woman and wounded at least 14 other people, the Afghan Ministry of Interior said.

Five people, including an Afghan soldier, were injured in a second explosion less than a half hour after the first, according to Daoud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

He said a third person had died in one of the two explosions, but it was unclear which one.

In western Afghanistan, three Taliban militants were killed and 33 others were wounded in a clash with police Sunday morning, according to Sarajuddin Najebi, a spokesman for the provincial governor of Badghis province.