Remote-controlled bicycle bomb kills 3 Afghan children

KABUL, Afghanistan // Police say a bomb blast has killed three children on the outskirts of Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan.

Khan Mohammad Mujhid, the police chief in Kandahar province, says a remote-controlled bomb, set up on a bicycle, exploded in a parking lot. He says six civilians were also wounded in Wednesday's blast.

The parking area is gathering place for Afghans traveling to and from Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage.

Tens of thousands of Afghan and international forces have been pushing hard to rout Taliban insurgents from Kandahar province.

Militants have responded with bomb attacks aimed at threatening the population and preventing the government from gaining the support of the people.