A suicide blast has killed 18 police and civilians in Afghanistan's western province of Farah, officials said.
The incident occurred in a bazaar near a police station in Del Aram district of Farah, they said, adding 15 more were wounded.
"So far, 18 people, including police and civilians, have been killed," Farah's governor Rohul Amin said.
Citing officials near the site, Mr Amin said the bomber was wearing an all-enveloping burqa robe that Afghan women commonly wear.
"I know that 18 people have been killed, but do not know whether the bomber was a man or woman or was wearing burqa or not," said Juman Khan, a police officer from Del Aram.
He said two police vehicles were destroyed in the attack, the latest in rising violence in Afghanistan in the past two years, the bloodiest period since the Taliban were driven from power in 2001.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, told Reuters the attack was carried out by a member of the group, which is leading an insurgency against the government and foreign troops. He said the bomber was a man.
The al Qaeda-backed Taliban largely rely on suicide attacks and roadside blasts in their campaign.