KABUL,
Afghanistan -- Fifteen Afghan civilians were killed and 18 wounded on
Friday when the bus they were traveling in struck a roadside bomb in
the northern province of Balk.
The bus was taking a group of men, women and children to a wedding party, local officials say.
"Most of the blast victims are in critical
condition, some of them slightly wounded but some others have badly
injuries and need to prolong treatment." said Dawood Rustayee a surgical
doctor at Mazar-I Sharief regional hospital, where the victims of the
roadside blast were taken.
Insurgent groups frequently use improvised
explosive devices to target Afghan and coalition troops but a high
number of civilians are killed in the attacks.
"The roadside bomb which was placed by the
enemies of Afghanistan struck a civilian bus that martyred 15 civilians
including women, men and children and also wounded 18 more including
women and children," said Sher Jan Durani, the spokesman for Balkh
police.
A United Nations report released on August
2012 said there were 1,145 civilian deaths in Afghanistan between
January 1 and June 30. There were also 1,954 civilians wounded, a drop
of 15 percent compared to the same period last year and the first time
in five years the number of civilian casualties has declined. About a
third of those killed or wounded were women or children.
