Roadside bomb kills ten civilians in eastern Afghanistan

Ten civilians, including four women and a child, were killed when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Friday, December 13.

The explosion happened in the volatile district of Jaghatu in Ghazni province after the U.S. and Taliban paused ongoing talks on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, in the explosion 10 people, including four women and a child, were killed,” Ghazni provincial governor spokesperson Aref Noori told AFP.

All the victims of the blast were civilians, he added, saying six others were wounded.

Marwa Amini, deputy spokesperson for the interior ministry in Kabul, confirmed the blast and toll.

There was no claim of responsibility for the explosion.

Earlier this week the Taliban launched an attack near Bagram, a major American airbase in Parwan province.

Insurgents often use roadside bombs and landmines to target Afghan security forces, but the lethal weapons also inflict heavy casualties on civilians.

The explosion comes just hours after Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said insurgent leaders had held “positive talks” with a U.S. delegation in Doha, adding the two sides planned to restart talks after a few days.

Years of conflict have left Afghanistan strewn with landmines, unexploded mortars, rockets and homemade bombs, and many are picked up by curious children.

Last month, 15 civilians including eight children were killed when their vehicle hit a land mine in northern Kunduz province.

Source: The Defense Post