Roadside bomb kills 3 Afghan civilians

A roadside bomb has killed at least three civilians, including a child, in southern Afghanistan as the security situation continues to deteriorate in the country.

Officials say the civilians were killed when a car hit a mine in southern Kandahar city on Thursday. Four other children were also wounded in the blast.

“Two occupants of the car and a child outside the car were martyred in the explosion. Four children who were playing nearby were wounded in the blast,” AFP quoted Kandahar provincial spokesman Zalmay Ayobi as saying

They also blamed Taliban militants for the blast.

The deaths bring the number of civilian casualties to 31 by roadside bombs in five days.

Militant attacks are gaining momentum despite the presence of over 150,000 US-led forces in the war-torn country.

The Afghan interior ministry has recently said that 2010 has been the deadliest year for civilians since the US-led invasion in 2001. The ministry says more than 2,000 civilians lost their lives in violence across Afghanistan.

Civilians have been the main victims of violence in Afghanistan, particularly in the country’s troubled southern and eastern provinces, where they are killed by both militant and foreign fire.

Afghans also blame foreign troops and their military operations for the civilian deaths. The issue of civilian casualties has long been a source of friction between Kabul and Washington.