KANDAHAR ? A roadside bomb hit a minibus in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing six passengers and wounding another nine, an official said.

The minibus had travelled from Helmand province to neighboring Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban movement, when a home-made bomb struck the vehicle in Maywand district, Kandahar provincial spokesman Zalmai Ayobi told AFP.

"Six civilians were killed and another nine were wounded in the blast," he said.

Home-made bombs, or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), are the Taliban's weapon of choice, responsible for most casualties sustained by Afghan and international troops.

Also Sunday, in the Arghandab district of Kandahar, three children herding sheep were critically wounded in another IED blast and were rushed to the main city hospital, said Ayobi.

Kandahar and Helmand provinces have been worst hit by the rising wave of Taliban violence, with militants posing a serious challenge to the 30,000 US and NATO troops deployed since the beginning of the year there, part of a total troop level nearing 150,000 in Afghanistan.