A suicide car bomber killed 18 people in the eastern Afghan city of Khost on Saturday, the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the Interior Ministry said.
Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP a public bus station was hit by the bombing, but local police said the target were Afghan security forces working with American troops in the province, AFP reported.
"A suicide car bomb in Khost Province has killed 18 people and wounded six others, including two children," Danish said.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the Kandahar attack, but it comes as Taliban terrorists step up their annual spring offensive.
The attack came a day after at least 15 Afghan soldiers were killed when Taliban members attacked their base in Kandahar, in the third major terror assault this week on the military in the southern province.
The attacks mark another stinging blow for NATO-backed Afghan forces.