Afghanistan: A roadside bomb struck a passenger van in southeast Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing 12 civilians, a local official said.
Dawlat Khan Yaqubi, head of the Tani district of Khost province near the Pakistan border, said women and children were among the dead. The vehicle caught fire and the bodies were burned, he said.
Home made bombs planted in roads are by far the deadliest weapon used by insurgents against NATO troops and Afghan government targets and frequently kill civilians.
The United Nations says 2400 civilians were killed last year, the deadliest of the war. Most were killed by insurgents, while the number killed by Western and government troops fell.
Khost, across the border from the restive Pakistani region of North Waziristan, is a stronghold of fighters loyal to the Haqqani family, an insurgent network linked to both the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Bureau Report
