An Afghan official says a bomb blast has killed five people, including a police commander, in the southern Kandahar province, an attack claimed by the Taliban.

A Kandahar police spokesman says Col. Janan Mama, commander of the border rapid reaction force, three of his police bodyguards and a civilian were killed in Wednesday's attack.

The spokesman, Zia Durrani, says the sticky bomb was placed on the commander's vehicle in Kandahar city, the provincial capital.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a statement sent to media. The insurgent group routinely targets Afghan officials and security forces.