A roadside bomb exploded to the south of the town of Farah in Afghanistan this morning as a convoy of eight armoured vehicles was passing by, according to a statement from the Defence ministry. The attack took place at 7.35am local time. Nobody was injured and there was no damage to any of the vehicles.

Meanwhile, NATO have confirmed that four Canadian soldiers have been killed by a suicide bomber riding a bicycle as they were handing out sweets to local children. According to Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, the suicide bomber was from the Kandahar region.

In the south of the country, thirteen Talibans have died and four others were injured in a shootout with Afghani police in the town of Hawasa in the Gereshk district of the Helmand province. One of the dead man has been identified as Taliban leader, Mohammed Ajunzada. Two AK-47 assault rifles, three machine guns and six grenades were confiscated at the scene.