At least 10 civilians are reported to have been killed and dozens wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a town in eastern Afghanistan.
Sunday's bombing in Gardez came a day after a suicide blast in the northern town of Kunduz killed nine people, including three German soldiers.
Zemarai Bashary, an interior ministry spokesman, said around 40 people were either dead or wounded in the blast in a crowded market and bus stop in the centre of Gardez, capital of Paktia province.
He said that six bodies were in one hospital and the death toll was expected to rise.
Suicide attacks
Rahmatullah Rahmat, the Paktia governor, said the bomber struck as a convoy of foreign forces was passing through a street market in the city of Gardez.
A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, which leads thousands of foreign troops in the country, said there were casualties among its forces at the scene but no deaths.
The attack in Kunduz on Saturday was aimed at German soldiers who were shopping in a crowded market. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
The Taliban has vowed to step up suicide attacks across the country to avenge the killing of Mullah Dadullah, its top military commander, last week.