A twin suicide bombing near a NATO base in central Afghanistan has killed at least nine civilians and four policemen, officials say, according to BBC News.

The attack, in Wardak province, destroyed much of a local bazaar, eyewitnesses say. The first attack was carried out by a militant on foot; then an explosives-laden lorry was detonated.

There are fears of a surge in violence when foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014.

The first suicide bomber targeted the local governor's office in the district of Saidabad, officials say.

A number of shops and houses were destroyed in the truck bomb explosion that followed. At least 47 people were wounded. No staff from the NATO base were killed, said officials from the U.S.-led force.

"A suicide bomber on foot detonated near the gate of the base in Saidabad, Wardak province, opening the way for a truck suicide bombing that followed him," provincial spokesman Shahiddullah Shahid said.