POLICE IN NORTHERN Afghanistan say 15 civilians were killed and 18 were wounded when the minibus they were travelling in was hit by a blast from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province.
The group of men, women and children were travelling to a wedding on Friday in Dawlat Abad district, police spokesman Shir Jan Durani said.
It is not yet clear if they were the intended target and no one has yet come forward to claim responsibility.
Officials say they expect the number of dead to increase.
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. It noted that an increasingly large number are caused by the Taliban and other armed groups.
The Taliban and other militants are responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian deaths in the country. About 77 percent of the deaths between January and June can be attributed to insurgents, a UN report said.
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