Bombings in Afghanistan kill 5

A suicide car bomber attacked a government building Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, killing a policeman a day after a similar blast left four people — including two NATO soldiers — dead.

The car bomber tried to hit a government building in the Tani district of eastern Khost province, but Afghan guards opened fire toward the car, said Khost Gov. Arsallah Jamal.

A policeman was killed and five other people, including an Afghan soldier, were wounded in the explosion that followed, said district police chief Guldat Hamim.

The attack came a day after another bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into the gates of another government building in the Yaqoubi district of Khost province on Monday, causing a part of the building to collapse and trapping soldiers inside, officials said.

Four people — two NATO soldiers and two Afghan civilians — were killed in that attack and 19 other people, including 15 soldiers, were wounded, officials said.

Initially, NATO officials said four soldiers were wounded in the explosion, but later Tuesday revised that figure.

"Because of the damages, it took the recovery team an extended time to assess the number of people affected by the explosion," a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.

NATO did not disclose the soldiers' nationalities. However, the majority of international forces in Khost province are American.

Militants regularly use suicide and roadside attacks in their fight against Afghan and foreign troops in the country.

Last year was the deadliest in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. More than 6,500 people — mostly militants — were killed in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press count.

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Associated Press Writer Rahim Faiez contributed to this report.