KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 24 (Xinhua) -- About 10 civilians were wounded following a car bomb blast in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar overnight, the provincial police chief said Friday.

"The incident occurred in Hino Mina neighborhood of provincial capital Kandahar city late Thursday night. The likely target of the explosion remained unknown and an investigation is underway," Gen. Tadeen Khan tweeted.

"But it seems the objective of this attack was to target civilians," he said.

The blast occurred near the house of a former provincial intelligence agency official, he said.

The blast also damaged several houses and the injured included six children and four women who sustained wounds inside their houses by shrapnel and flying glasses.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident yet.

The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 3,800 civilians were killed and over 7,180 others injured in conflict-related incidents in 2018 in the war-torn country, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.