A car bomb exploded in front of the gate of a Defense Ministry facility in Gardiz city, the center of eastern Paktia province, on Thursday morning, leaving five civilians dead, according to an army spokesman.

Aimal Mohmand, a spokesman for the Afghan National Army's 203 Thunder Corps, said that 19 others--including five security force members--were wounded in the explosion.
He added that the explosives were placed in a Mazda truck that was detonated in front of the gate of the facility at around 8:30am.
Photos on social media from the attack scene show the building has been destroyed in the explosion.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.