Seven die in Afghan bike bomb

At least seven people were killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province on Tuesday by a bomb mounted on a bicycle. An official said 14 people were also injured by the blast, which struck in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah.

US Marines walk through the rubble of a house destroyed in Sunday's airstrike in Marjah Reuters

Helmand’s police chief Assadullah Shairzad said the bike, which was rigged with explosives, was placed near a crowded bus station and a government traffic department.

The attack occurred as Nato and Afghan troops continue an offensive against the Taliban in the province. On Sunday, 27 civilians were mistakenly killed by a Nato air strike.

A total of 1,000 US soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion began in 2001, according to the icasualties.org website. It said 54 troops have died so far this year, while a record of 316 lost their lives in 2009.

Meanwhile, five Romanian soldiers were wounded on Tuesday when their vehicle was hit by a bomb in the south of the country.