4 dead in Afghanistan suicide attack

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 4 (UPI) -- A suicide car-bomber killed four civilians in an attack on a Canadian troop convoy in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The BBC reports the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which struck the end of the convoy and was in the same area as Assadullah Khalid, the governor of Kandahar Province.

Canadian troops weren't hurt in the incident as their armor deflected the explosion but sent it into a nearby crowd, the report said.

On Saturday the Paktika Province health director was assassinated in a recent escalation of violence by Taliban and al-Qaida insurgents aimed at religious leaders, politicians and other leaders.