Bomb in Afghanistan kills eight

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A roadside bomb exploded in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province as a joint NATO-Afghan security patrol arrived to defuse it, killing seven Afghans and one U.S. soldier, a district official said Sunday.

The explosion occurred Saturday in the village of Kuhak in Arghandab district, Shah Muhammad, the district chief administrator, said. The district has long been considered a Taliban stronghold, and it neighbors the Panjwai district where an Army staff sergeant allegedly went on a shooting rampage that left 17 people dead.

Six members of the Afghan police, a translator and a U.S. soldier were killed Sunday, Muhammad said. The district's police chief, Niaz Muhammad, confirmed the number of casualties.

"The police were told there is an IED. When they reached the area to defuse it, the bomb exploded," Muhammad said.

The bomb was possibly remotely detonated, he said. Read More