Four die in Afghan suicide attack

At least four people have been killed after a suicide bomber struck in north-west Afghanistan.

A further 19 were injured during the incident at a sports field in Faryab province, according to governor Abdul Haq Shafiq.

The attack took place as people were playing buzkashi, a traditional Afghan sport in which players on horseback wrangle for a headless goat carcass.

Mr Shafiq said: “The people and the police became suspicious of the bomber. People started running. Everyone was scared.

“The people called out, ‘Suicide bomber! Suicide bomber!’ and then the bomber blew himself up.”

In a separate incident, nine people died just outside Khost City in the east of the country when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

The Afghan Interior Ministry said three men, two women and four children were killed in the explosion in the insurgent-ridden Lakan area.