Five policemen were killed as a bomb planted by rebels struck their van in Taliban former stronghold Kandahar on Thursday, an official said.

"The gruesome incident occurred at around 11 a.m. (GMT0630) in Shurabak district when the police were on patrol in their vehicle," Saifullah Hakim the commander of border police in the region told Xinhua.

He added that five officers were killed on the spot and two others sustained injuries.

This is the second bomb attack in Kandahar in a single day on Thursday.

A previous attack killed two people, including a child, and injured four others. All the victims were civilians.

Taliban fighters have vowed to intensify activities this year in Afghanistan, mostly in forms of roadside and suicide bombings.

Source: Xinhua