KABUL
At least 14 civilians -- majority of them women and children -- were killed on Saturday in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, local officials said.
Five others were wounded in the incident after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Bazarak locality of Marja district.
“The victims were traveling toward their village by a minibus. The bodies and wounded people were evacuated to the emergency hospital," the spokesman for the provincial governor, Omar Zawak told Anadolu Agency.
Although no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the Taliban is suspected of involvement.
"This is the worst incident which could happen on people when they were rushing home to break their fasting after day-long traveling,” Zawak said.
The Taliban, who launched their nationwide spring offensive in April, have been particularly active in Helmand province and have planted hundreds of landmines and improvised explosive devices to target Afghan security forces.
On June 9th, at least five members of a family were killed by a bomb in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab province. The bomb was planted in the house of a pro-government official in the Gurziwan district.
The number of civilians dying in Afghanistan continues to rise, with civilian causalities for first quarter of 2015 reaching 521 -- 136 killed and 385 injured, according to U.N. figures.
A new study by Brown University in the U.S. showed that at least 100,000 civilians have been killed since the Taliban was toppled in late 2001.
