Approximately 20 people have been killed in two suicide bombings in a southern Afghanistan town.

An additional 40 people were hurt in a blast in Gereshk, in the Helmand region. Majority of the fatalities were civilians.

Reports say that the bombers strapped explosives to their bodies in an attempt to kill a senior provincial official who survived the attacks.

Southern Afghanistan has seen an increase in bomb attacks over the past year, counting more than 3,000 people killed in 2007.

The majority of the attacks have targeted foreign and national security forces.

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