KABUL, March 25: One roadside bomb killed 10 civilians on Wednesday in a van along a route used by foreign troops in eastern Afghanistan while another wounded three Australian troops, highlighting a tactic increasingly favoured by Taliban militants.

The civilians killed were travelling on a road in eastern Khost province that is also used by foreign and Afghan troops, said Police Chief Abdul Qajum Bakizoy. He blamed Taliban militants for planting the bomb.

The blast killed seven people instantly, while three others died later of their wounds in the hospital, said Wazir Pacha, the provincial police spokesman. Six people were wounded in the attack, he added.

Neither of the officials knew whether the attack was targeting one of the troop convoys that regularly use the road in Saberi district. The area is known for militant activity and clashes between coalition troops and Taliban fighters.

The Australian troops that were wounded on Tuesday were on patrol with Afghan soldiers in southern Uruzgan province, said the Australian Defence Department in a statement. The roadside bomb blast also wounded their interpreter, it said. —AP
Tags: