Ten civilians, including three children, were killed in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province on Tuesday, a provincial police spokesman confirmed.
"The explosion occurred roughly at 5:00 a.m. local time in Ali Shir district when a vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) and the explosion tore apart the vehicle, causing the casualties," spokesman Haidar Adel told Xinhua.
Two women and three children were among the killed and provincial police officials were trying to notify relatives of the victims, he said.
Taliban militants have been using home-made IEDs to make roadside bombs and landmines for targeting security forces, but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.
More than 32,600 civilians have died and about 60,700 have been injured as a result of armed conflict in Afghanistan since January 2009, according to figures of the UN mission in the country.
Xinhua
