KABUL: A suicide bomber targeting a village police commander blew himself up in a bazaar in a lawless part of eastern Afghanistan, killing seven people, an Afghan official said.

Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, the deputy provincial governor of Ghazni province, said Saturday that the attacker on a motorcycle killed Local Police commander Dawlat Khan, three of his men, and three civilians.

He said the attack took place late Friday in Ghazni's Qarabagh district.

The Afghan Local Police are a village level force designed to be a first line of defence against the Taliban. They are often targeted by insurgents who see them as a direct threat to their ability to operate.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks since foreign troops last month handed security control for the whole country to the Afghans.