Kandahar: A minibus full of civilians struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan early Sunday, killing six on board, officials said.
Another nine people were wounded in the explosion in Kandahar province`s Maiwand district, said provincial spokesman Zalmai Ayubi.
The civilian death toll has climbed along with military casualties amid a summer push into Taliban strongholds in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand. It was not clear if the bombing was targeted or if the bus had struck a bomb planted in the hope of killing NATO or Afghan troops.
To counter an influx of international forces in recent months, the Taliban have stepped up assassination campaigns against government sympathisers and bombings, as well as attacks on government or NATO forces.
Threats have also appeared more frequent in Kabul, the capital to the north. On Sunday, NATO said Afghan and international forces killed an insurgent in Kabul while pursuing a tip that militants were planning a double suicide bombing.
The man started firing on troops when they searched a neighbourhood believed to harbour insurgents, the coalition said in a statement.
Bureau Report
