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KABUL: Seven civilians were killed in twin roadside mine blasts in southern Helmand and western Herat provinces. 20 others were wounded after their vehicles they were traveling in hit these mines.
In the first incident, a 404 model bus hit a roadside mine planted by the Taliban rebels in Greshk district of Helmand on Saturday morning, killing five civilians and wounding nine more, according to a statement by the defense ministry.
The second incident occurred in Herat-Kandahar highway when a 404 passenger bus hit a mine at around 10:00pm Friday night, killing two passengers, wounding 11 others, the spokesman for Herat Public Health Directorate, Rafiq Sherzai told Afghanistan Times
The wounded passengers have been evacuated to the provincial hospital for treatment, according to him.
The civilian casualties often as a result of Taliban-planted mines, is coming to the fore when the international community is insisting on reduction in violence. Reducing civilian casualties and working toward a ceasefire is expected to be the highest priority of the Afghan team—however, the Afghan and Taliban peace delegations despite one month being in Doha, are still wrangling on common grounds to conduct the intra-Afghan talks. The two sides are supposed to negotiate a political settlement that ends four decades of deadly war.
