Roadside bomb kills 6 civilians in southern Afghanistan

An Afghan official says six people were killed when a civilian vehicle struck a roadside bomb in southern Kandahar province. Provincial councilman Yousof Younosi says all the victims were from a single family — two children, two women and two men. The attack took place on Tuesday in Dand district.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Younosi blamed the Taliban who are active in the province and regularly stage attacks against Afghan forces and government officials. Meanwhile, Jawad Hajri, spokesman for the governor in northeastern Takhar province, said security forces repelled Taliban attacks on checkpoints in Khoja Ghor district on Tuesday. He says three pro-government fighters were killed as well as 15 insurgents. The Taliban claimed their fighters had overrun the Khoja Ghor district headquarters.