Taliban suicide bomber kills five just days after Trump reveals new US strategy in Afghanistan

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least five people and injured another 25 in southern Afghanistan.

The victims included two women and two soldiers, officials said.

"A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-filled car in a parking lot near the main police headquarters in Lashkar Gah," Omar Zhwak, a spokesman for the governor of Helmand province, told AFP.

Between 25 and 38 people, mostly children, are believed to have been injured in the explosion. The injured children were studying at a nearby mosque when the attack took place.

The bombing occurred days after US President Donald Trump revealed that he does not intend to pull out US troops from Afghanistan at the moment.

The head of state said that a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum of power that terrorists could use to tighten their grip on the country.

A US-led invasion of Afghanistan began in 2001 to dismantle terror group Al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban, a Sunni fundamentalist political movement, from power.

Contrary to expectations, Trump did not disclose the number of possible soldiers that could be further deployed to Afghanistan, where some 8,000 US special forces are still providing support to the Afghan army.

In repsonse to Trump, the Taliban warned it would turn the country into a "graveyard" for American troops.

Earlier this month, the Taliban killed two US soldiers when a suicide bomber targeted a Nato convoy that was travelling towards the airport in Kandahar, home to a military base housing troops aiding Afghan forces in their fight against terrorism.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996, imposing a strict version of Islam and persecuting anyone who would not abide by their laws. Although Taliban rule ended following the US invasion in 2001, its insurgents still control some areas of the country.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks that have rocked Afghanistan in recent months.

In July, at least 26 people were killed and another 42 wounded when a car laden with explosives rammed into a bus carrying government employees in Kabul. Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing. The Interior Ministry called the attack "a criminal act against humanity".

The Taliban is competing for supremacy in Afghanistan since Isis established a foothold in the country in 2015.

In June, Isis reportedly seized from the Taliban a mountain redoubt, known as Tora Bora, in the Nangarhar Province, following week-long fighting. The Taliban, however, denied the claims.

Earlier in August officials claimed the two groups joined forces to carry out an attack that killed more than 50 men, women and children in the Sayad district, in the northern Sar-e Pul province.

The attack took place when the militants managed to overrun the police following a 48-hour-long battle. The majority of the victims were Shia Muslims, some of whom were beheaded.

It is believed the joint attack took place after members of both groups united under the command of Sher Mohammad Ghazanfar, a local Taliban commander who pledged allegiance to Isis.

The Taliban, however, denied the claims and said it was the only group behind the attack.