Gen. Agha Noor Kemtoz, the provincial police chief, said that the target of the attack was a guesthouse used by a provincial intelligence official in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand.
He says those killed include civilian and military personnel, and that six others were wounded in Tuesday's attack. Kemtoz added that a car full of explosives was found nearby and that the police are trying to defuse it.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban use suicide attacks or roadside bombs to target government officials and Afghan security forces across the country.