KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says a roadside mine blast in southern Afghanistan has killed 9 civilians.
A spokesman for the Kandahar provincial government, Zalmai Ayoubi, says four women and three children were among those who died in the blast early Friday morning.
Eight other people were wounded and taken to a hospital run by NATO troops in the southern province.
Violence has spiked in Afghanistan volatile south in recent weeks as Taliban insurgents have stepped up attacks ahead of a planned major operation by NATO forces to secure the main city of Kandahar.
