A roadside bomb ripped through a car in restive southern Afghanistan today, killing eight civilians, most of them women and children, officials said.
Five women, two children and an elderly man were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb, a major weapon for the Taliban in their deadly campaign against Afghan and foreign troops.
The bombing near Qalat, the capital of the troubled southern Zabul province, was the latest in a series of explosions to take the lives of civilians instead of their intended military targets.
Three other civilians were wounded in the bombing, Ghulam Sakhi Roghliwani, the Zabul provincial police chief told AFP.
He blamed the Taliban for planting the improvised device.
Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, the deputy provincial governor, said the victims were members of the same family and that they were travelling to the provincial capital of Qalat when the bomb hit.
He also blamed the bombing on Taliban, the main insurgent group that is waging a 12-year fight against the government US-led NATO forces.
Roadside bombings and suicide attacks are the two main tactics that the Taliban have used in their campaign in recent years.
Roadside bombings account for most of the military deaths in Afghanistan and are also the main killer of civilians.
