Bus bombing kills 15 in Southern Afghanistan

A bomb ripped through a small bus today in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, killing 15 people and wounding eight others, a provincial deputy governor said.

The explosion occurred in Nadh Ali district, about 20 miles south-east of Lashkargah, Helmand’s capital, Haji Pir Mohammed said.

No one claimed responsibility, and no arrests were made. But Mohammed blamed al-Qaida insurgents and remnants of the Taliban militia, ousted by a US-led coalition in late 2001. “They are killing innocent people,” he said.

Three of the injured were said to be in a serious condition.

The number of people in the Lashkargah-bound bus was not immediately known.

Small vans, which can carry about 12 passengers, are a common form of transport between cities and rural areas.