Roadside bomb in western Afghanistan kills 24 civilians

[News_Editor]

Roadside bomb in western Afghanistan kills 24 civilians

2011-08-18 21:06:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

HERAT, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- More than 20 people were killed on Thursday morning when a roadside bomb struck a minibus in western Afghanistan, officials said. Nearly a dozen others were injured.

The blast happened at around 9.30 a.m. local time in the Turkan Kotal area between the Oba district and the provincial capital city of Herat in Afghanistan's western province of Herat.

According to the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the blast killed at least 24 civilians, including women and children, and left 11 others seriously injured. "The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly condemns this inhuman act by the enemies of Afghanistan," a statement from Karzai's office said.

Local media reports said the minibus was carrying around 30 people at the time of the blast, and that the death toll could still rise as several people remain in a critical condition.

"Insurgents plan attacks such as these without regard for the civilians they kill, looking for the attention of the media," said Rear Admiral Hal Pittman, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. "The Afghan people see the selfish destruction the insurgents bring. ISAF joins President Karzai and [the Ministry of Interior] in condemning this atrocity."

On July 2, thirteen civilians were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the Shamulzai district of Zabul province. It followed another attack on a passenger bus in Nimroz province, just days earlier, which left 20 people killed.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-18