Roadside bomb kills six Afghan civilians

A remote-controlled bomb killed six Afghan civilians today as they travelled in the centre of the country, an official said.

Insurgents detonated the explosives planted in a road as the civilians’ vehicle passed by in Tirin Kot, capital of central Uruzgan province, according to Zemarai Bashary, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior.

One other civilian was wounded in the early morning blast, he said.

Roadside bombs are a favourite weapon of insurgents fighting the US-backed government elected after the 2001 invasion that drove the hard-line Taliban from power.

While a leading killer of international troops in Afghanistan, the homemade explosives planted by insurgents often kill civilians.

Nearly 70% of civilian deaths last year were caused by insurgents. At least 2,412 civilians were killed in 2009 – a 14% increase from 2008 – according to the United Nations.