Roadside bomb kills 8 civilians in Afghanistan

KABUL – An Afghan official says eight civilians, including women and children, were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb.

Sher Jan Durani, the spokesman for the provincial police chief in the northern Balkh province, says six other civilians were wounded in Wednesday’s blast.

He blamed the attack on the Taliban, whose roadside bombs, intended for security forces, often kill and wound civilians.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban attacked a police checkpoint in the western Herat province, killing eight police.

Gelani Farhad, the spokesman for the provincial governor, says six insurgents were killed in the ensuing gunbattle.