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Washington  - The United States is considering sending dozens more civilians to Afghanistan along with thousands of additional troops set to arrive later this year, a spokesman said Thursday.

The US is looking at adding 51 civilian posts to work on various projects and could also send more diplomats to beef up local reconstruction teams, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will attend next week in Moscow a conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, called to discuss Afghanistan's growing threat to regional security, the UN said Thursday.

The Moscow conference on March 27 "will focus on the impact that the situation in Afghanistan is having on its neighbouring states," the UN said.

Kabul - An Afghan member of parliament, a local police commander and three bodyguards were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in southern province of Helmand on Thursday, officials said.

"Amer Dad Mohammad Khan, a member of parliament, and Abdul Samad Khaksar, a local police commander were killed when a roadside bomb blew up their vehicle today," said Daoud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor of Helmand.

He said the blast also caused several other casualties , but could not provide any exact figures.

However, Wali Khan Sabari, another Helmand lawmaker said that the bomb also killed three bodyguards.

Kabul (Afghanistan), Mar. 19 : The Government of Afghanistan has reportedly opened preliminary negotiations with the country''s most dangerous rebel faction, the Al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, which has been accused of masterminding some of the most brazen attacks in recent years.

Kabul, Mar 19: Last month’s attack on government buildings in Kabul were planned and directed from Pakistan and Afghanistan’s intelligence agency has arrested seven people in connection with it.

The attackers were in telephone contact with a Pakistan-based ringleader during the simultaneous attacks on the Justice Ministry, Prisons Directorate and Education Ministry, said Afghanistan’s intelligence agency spokesman Saeed Ansary.