Roadside blast kills 12 civilians in Afghanistan

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - A roadside bomb explosion claimed lives of at least 12 civilians in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, an official said.

Mohammad Yosuf, governor of Dawlat Abad district in Balkh province, said a mini-bus carrying civilians hit the roadside improvised explosive device in the Barbar village early in the morning.

He blamed the Taliban for planting the bomb.

The district governor told Anadolu Agency seven women and two children were among those killed in this blast.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Amid rejuvenated yet fragile peace talks between the U.S. and Taliban, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented over 1,500 civilian casualties in July alone, which means at least 50 civilians killed or wounded on daily basis.

UNAMA said in a report earlier this month that as peace efforts have intensified in recent weeks so too has the conflict on the ground.