Kabul 22 Jun (ANA) - At least 20 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a car bomb explosion outside a bank in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, officials say. Police told the BBC the bomb detonated at the gate of the New Kabul Bank branch in Lashkar Gah. Civilians and members of the security forces are reportedly among casualties. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Taliban and Islamic State militants have carried out deadly attacks in recent months. The emergency hospital in Helmand confirmed that 20 bodies and 50 injured people had been transported there. Earlier, Tolo News reported that armed attackers had entered the bank and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. "It happened at a time when civilians and officials had lined up outside the bank to collect their salaries," a police spokesman, Salam Afghan, told AFP news agency. Bank buildings have been repeatedly attacked in recent years in Afghanistan as civilians and military personnel receive their monthly salaries from them.(ANA)

FA/ANA/22 June 2017-----