Roadside bomb kills 13 Afghans

KABUL: A total of 13 civilians including children and women were killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, the interior ministry in Kabul said.

The blast hit a three-wheeled vehicle and killed "13 of our innocent civilian compatriots, including women, children and elderly men," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry blamed the attack on "enemies of Afghanistan's people", a phrase often used by officials to refer to the Taliban. A police investigation has been launched.

Paktika is on Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, where Taliban militants have hideouts in the lawless border regions.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or home-made bombs are the weapon of choice for insurgents and are a frequent cause of death for civilians as well as foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials say that last year 2,043 civilians died as a result of Taliban attacks and military operations targeting the militants.