At least 17 people were killed and 34 others injured on Tuesday in two explosions in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, sources said.  

The blasts occurred around 12:45 p.m.( local time) in Dorahi district of west Kandahar.

A first small explosion caused by a bomb on a handcart on the street wounded a child, prompting passer-by rush to the site, when the second powerful blast happened, a local security official told Xinhua through telephone.

The second explosion killed at least 17 people and wounded 34 others, including 15 children and five women, the source said.

Police in Kabul said they had arrested one man in relation with the apparent terrorist attack.

The number of casualties in the incident could be higher as some of the wounded were immediately rushed to the US military hospital in the city, sources said.

Kandahar, a former stronghold of the ousted Taliban regime, has been the scene of a series of explosions and terrorist attacks by suspected Taliban fighters in last few months. 

Afghan president condemns killing of children in Kandahar

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday condemned the killing of at least eight children in a big explosion earlier in the day in the southern city of Kandahar.

"The president believes that perpetrators of the attack are the enemies of the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan," said a press release issued by Karzai's office.

The explosion around mid-day on a central Kandahar street killed at least eight children and injured 59 others as dozens of schoolchildren from nearby schools were on their way home, according to the press release.

However, an independent report said that at least 17 people were killed in the explosion.

Witnesses said that most of the victims were killed in the big explosion when they rushed to the site where an earlier small blast injured one child. 

Police in Kandahar said they had arrested an Afghan man for his possible connection with the incident, pointing the finger at the ousted Taliban movement.

Calling the incident an act of terrorism, Karzai said that such acts would only further strengthen the government's resolve to step up its fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, the president gave strict orders to security authorities in Kandahar to undertake a thorough investigation and bring the attackers to justice.

Kandahar, a former stronghold of the ousted Taliban regime, has been the scene of a series of explosions and terrorist attacks by suspected Taliban fighters in last few months. 

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2004)