A roadside bomb struck a minibus carrying a family of Afghan refugees on Saturday, killing up to 13 people including women and children, officials said. At least 11 of the dead were from the same family, who were returning from Pakistan through the remote province of Zabul, in the volatile south of Afghanistan, when the blast hit. The area borders Pakistan, where Taliban-led militants have hideouts from which they launch violent incursions into Afghanistan.
“A civilian minivan was struck by a roadside bomb in Zanzir area of Shamulzayi district in Zabul province,” the interior ministry said in a statement. “As a result of the mine blast, 13 civilians including four women and two children were martyred.” Deputy provincial governor Mohammad Jaan Rasulyar earlier told AFP that 11 people were killed in the blast at 7:50 am (0320 GMT).
He added that the group were all from the same family and were refugees. “They were en route to Ghazni province from Pakistan through Zabul’s border area,” Rasulyar said. “The first took place at around 9:00 pm killing two civilians who were crossing into a garden,” said
provincial police chief General Abdul Razaq.