GARDEZ, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide car bomber killed at least three intelligence officers in an attack on a security convoy on patrol in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday evening, officials said.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Paktia province, which also left 19 civilians wounded and several nearby stores partially destroyed, according to Mohammad Halim Fidayee, the provincial governor. The convoy was targeted while on patrol along the main highway linking the provincial capital of Gardes with neighboring Khost province. The attack comes as Afghan government representatives and the Taliban have made progress in peace talks underway in Qatar, following a three-month impasse, and this week agreed on rules and procedures for the negotiations.