A number of soldiers were also injured by the explosion, Zwak said.
A source in the Afghan security forces told TOLOnews that the death toll of the explosion had reached 20 people.
#Helmand — Governor's spokesman Omar Zwak confirms 5 soldiers were killed in a car bomb blast in #Gereshk district on Thursday night.
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) 4 августа 2017 г.
In a separate incident on early Friday, a group of armed men attacked a money exchange market in the Gereshk district. Zwak said that the clashes were ongoing in the area.
Afghanistan has long been suffering from the unstable political, social and security situation due to the activity of the Taliban and Islamic State terrorist groups, both outlawed in Russia. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces supported by the US-led coalition are currently conducting joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country.
