Nine Civilians Killed by Roadside Bomb in Northern Afghanistan

Nine civilians were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, as they traveled to a wedding on Sunday, police and local officials said.

Six women, two men and a child died in the blast, which happened as the vehicle traveled from Pul-e-Khumri, the provincial capital, to a village in the province, on a road often used by foreign forces.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the blast.

"A mine struck a civilian minibus," provincial governor Abdul Majeed told Agence France Presse.

"Nine civilians -- six women, a child and two men -- have been killed. The road is often used by the PRT (provincial reconstruction team) soldiers. All the casualties are civilians."

The incident was also confirmed by Major Qudratullah, a spokesman for police in Baghlan province.

The incident came a day after six civilians were killed by a roadside bomb which hit a minibus in the Sangin district of southern Afghanistan's troubled Helmand province.

Afghanistan's interior ministry says that last year 2,043 civilians died as a result of Taliban attacks and military operations targeting the militants.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or home-made bombs are a frequent cause of death for civilians in Afghanistan.

There are around 140,000 international troops in the country fighting the Taliban insurgents who were ousted from power in a 2001 U.S.-led invasion.