A suicide bomber in Afghanistan on Monday killed three civilians and injured five others in an attack since the blast took place close to the district government compound in Qarghayi, Laghman province, eastern Afghanistan.

“Three civilians were killed and another five civilians were wounded in the suicide attack today,” provincial spokesman Faizanullah Pattan told the news agency.

He blamed the attack on enemies of Afghanistan, a term often used to refer to Taliban militants who have waged a bloody insurgency against Afghan and international forces for nearly 10 years.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive just over a week ago.

Civilians are increasingly caught up in the violence that has blighted Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power, triggering an insurgency whose intensity has increased in recent years.

The United Nations said last year was the deadliest for civilians since the conflict began, with 2,777 killed -a 15 per cent increase on 2009.

There are about 130,000 international troops in Afghanistan, two-thirds of them from the United States, battling the Taliban and other insurgents.

A limited withdrawal of foreign troops from seven relatively peaceful areas is due to start in July, ahead of a full withdrawal of foreign combat troops scheduled by the end of 2014.