KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An explosion from a roadside bomb tore into a minibus carrying people to a wedding in northern Afghanistan today, leaving 19 dead and 16 wounded, authorities said.
Spokesman Shir Jan Durani said the group was traveling to Dawlat Abad district, about 270 miles northwest of the capital, Kabul.
District police commander Bismullah Muslimyar said six children and seven women were among the dead in the blast, which occurred at 6 a.m. after a nighttime police patrol.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the attack.
“Planting a mine on a road used by civilians and the killing of innocent people represents hostility toward humanity,” he said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council expressed serious concern at the high number of civilian casualties in the war, especially among women and children.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less