Afghan official: Roadside bomb kills 11

KABUL, Afghanistan — A roadside bombing has killed at least 11 people on a bus, including women and children, in the country’s western Farah province, an Afghan official said.

Abdul Jabar Shahiq, chief of the province’s health department, said the bombing on Tuesday morning in the Bala Buluk district also wounded 31 people, all civilians.

Shahiq said the bus was on its way from Herat province toward the capital, Kabul, when it struck the roadside bomb.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but the Taliban have a strong presence in the province, especially in Bala Buluk where they often plant roadside bombs to target government officials or Afghan security forces.

Such attacks often end up inflicting significant casualties among civilians.  /kga