A suicide bomber blew himself up on Friday noon in south Afghanistan, killing 17 people, injuring 21 others, local official told Xinhua.

Spokesman of Kandahar province government, Zalmai Ayubi, said, "Till now, 17 people have been killed, including a police officer, and 21 others were injured, including two policemen."

however, a border police commander in south Afghanistan province Kandahar, Gen. Abdul Raziq had previously told Xinhua that a suicide bomber blew himself up in a public bathroom around 12:30 p.m., killing 13 people, including a border police commander Ramazan Khan and 12 civilians.

Spinboldak district, the explosion site, in south Afghanistan's Kandahar province, borders Pakistan.

Several shops have been damaged due to the powerful explosion.

Ayubi also blamed "the enemies of Afghanistan," a term often use by Afghan officials referring to Taliban insurgents, for initiating the attack.

However, Taliban have yet to make comments.

Kandahar, the birthplace of Taliban, has been experiencing increasing militancy over the past couple of years despite continued military operations launched by NATO-led ISAF ( International Security Assistance Force) since mid 2010.