Roadside Bomb Kills 10 Civilians In Eastern Afghanistan

Ten people, including four women and a child, were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan, officials said on December 13.

The occurred in the volatile district of Jaghatu in Ghazni province.

All the victims of the blast were civilians, said Aref Noori, a spokesman for the provincial governor, adding that six others were wounded.

"Unfortunately, in the explosion, 10 people, including four women and a child, were killed," Noori said.

Marwa Amini, deputy spokeswoman for the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul, confirmed the blast and death toll.

Officials said the bomb was planted to target Afghan security forces, since it detonated some 300 meters from a military base.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but officials blamed the Taliban.

Earlier this week, the Taliban launched an attack near Bagram, a major U.S. airbase.

This is the second such incident within the past two weeks in the district. In a previous incident, a civilian truck was hit with a roadside bomb that left one dead and one wounded.

Based on reporting by dpa and AFP