More than 100 people wounded in a powerful car bomb in Ghor province.  (Photo: AP)

Kabul, October 18 (RHC)-- At least 12 civilians have been killed and more than 100 people wounded after a car bomb explosion in Afghanistan’s western province of Ghor, according to government officials.

Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Aran said Sunday’s bombing struck near the entrance of the provincial police chief’s office and other nearby government buildings in Feroz Koh, the capital of Ghor.

Arif Aber, spokesman for the provincial governor in Ghor, said the blast was so strong that its sound could be heard across Feroz Koh.  “It damaged and partially destroyed a few government buildings, including the police chief’s office, the women’s affairs department and the provincial office for refugees,” Aber said.

The head of a hospital in Ghor, Mohammad Omer Lalzad, said emergency staff were treating dozens of people with both serious and light wounds.

Tens and thousands of people have been displaced in recent days after intense fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan government forces in several districts of Helmand province and parts of the neighbouring Kandahar province.

Sporadic fighting continued on Sunday as government forces pushed with a counter-offensive to retake some of the lost ground in and around Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, according to officials.