Abdul Malik / Reuters

Smoke rises in the sky from a suicide car bomb explosion in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Jan. 26, 2012. Four Afghan civilians were killed and 31 people wounded, said Dawood Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Abdul Khaleq / AP

A damaged car is seen at the scene of a suicide attack in Lashkar Gah on Jan. 26, 2012.

The Associated Press reports from KABUL, Afghanistan:

A suicide car bomber targeting a NATO-sponsored reconstruction team killed four Afghan civilians, including a child, and wounded 31 on Thursday in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

The bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle as a convoy of the NATO team passed by in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said. Three civilian international members of the aid team — two men and one woman — were among the wounded. Read the full story.

Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads

Qais Usyan / AFP - Getty Images

More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

Launch slideshow