Afghan blast kills 5, creates poll worries

A bomb blast killed at least five people and wounded 34 in the western Afghan city of Herat on Sunday, raising fresh concern about security for elections in October.

The bomb exploded outside a military post near a busy market in the city, provincial spokesman Ghulam Mohammad Masoan said. All victims were civilians and included women and children.

Herat police chief Zia Uddin Mahmodi said the bomb might have been hidden in a bucket and the Taliban could be to blame. The explosion came just ahead of a ceremony to mark the start of disarmament of Herat’s militia force.

Masoan called the bomb the work of ‘‘those people who do not want a stable Herat’’ — an apparent reference to rivals of the powerful provincial governor, Ismail Khan.