Workers clean the site of a bomb attack in Herat city, Afghanistan, Nov. 1, 2020. Three police officers manning a checkpoint were killed and two people were wounded in a bomb attack hitting the checkpoint in Herat city, capital of Afghanistan's western Herat province on Sunday, local police confirmed. (Photo by Elaha Sahel/Xinhua)

Three police officers manning a checkpoint were killed and two people were wounded in a bomb attack hitting the checkpoint in Herat city, capital of Afghanistan's western Herat province on Sunday, local police confirmed.

"The incident occurred in Payyan Ab security checkpoint in Police District 10 roughly at 6:00 a.m. local time. One police officer and a passer-by civilian were wounded and were transported to a regional hospital from the scene," provincial police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walizada told Xinhua.

The blast sent a column of thick smoke into the sky and triggered panic, witnesses said.

More details would be made public later as an investigation is underway to find more facts about the incident, the police official added.

The blast is the latest in a string of bombings that have targeted dozens of military and security compounds across the country.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Afghan officials often blamed Taliban militants for conducting bomb attacks.

The Taliban militants, controlling parts of the province in the region, 640 km west of Kabul, have been using rugged terrains and mountains as hideouts, frequently launching hit-and-run attacks against security forces.
 

Photo taken on Nov. 1, 2020 shows debris at the site of a bomb attack in Herat city, Afghanistan. Three police officers manning a checkpoint were killed and two people were wounded in a bomb attack hitting the checkpoint in Herat city, capital of Afghanistan's western Herat province on Sunday, local police confirmed. (Photo by Elaha Sahel/Xinhua)