John
12-30-2010, 11:50 AM
More than 10 Afghan civilians were killed and several others wounded in a blast triggered by insurgents Thursday in southern Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province, officials said.
The United Nations says 2,412 civilians died in Afghanistan in the first 10 months of 2010 Enlarge photo
International forces put the death toll at more than 10, while provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi told AFP that 16 people were killed or injured.
"A minivan hit a roadside mine in Sangin district this morning, 16 people have been killed and injured in the blast," Ahmadi said.
"The civilians were travelling from Gereshk to Sangin district when their vehicle hit the mine."
The area where the blast took place is a traditional Taliban stronghold which international forces are battling to secure as part of their nine-year battle against the Islamist militants.
Sangin is one of the bloodiest battlegrounds in the Afghanistan war -- around a third of all British troops killed in the conflict have died there. British troops have since been replaced by US forces.
The region is a centre of the opium trade and also rich in agriculture.
On Monday, three people were killed in Kandahar city, in the neighbouring province, when a car bomb exploded in front of a bank where police were queuing to collect their salaries.
Confirming the latest attack, the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said: "More than 10 Afghan civilians were killed and several others were wounded in an explosion triggered by insurgents in a crowded area of Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province today."
Afghan and NATO forces helped to evacuate the wounded, it added.
The United Nations says 2,412 civilians died in Afghanistan in the first 10 months of 2010 and 3,803 were injured.
The figures represented an increase of 20 percent on the same period last year, it said earlier this month, adding that over three-quarters of these were linked to "anti-government elements".
A total of 709 international troops have died in Afghanistan in 2010, according to the independent iCasualties website, the highest figure since the war began in 2001.
There are around 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan. The nations contributing most to the ISAF force are the United States, with 90,000 troops, and Britain, with around 9,000.
President Barack Obama announced 30,000 extra troops for Afghanistan last year as part of a surge strategy to try to turn around the conflict.
In a review of the strategy published earlier this month, Obama insisted it was on track although he stressed that gains were fragile.
Source - Yahoo.
The United Nations says 2,412 civilians died in Afghanistan in the first 10 months of 2010 Enlarge photo
International forces put the death toll at more than 10, while provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi told AFP that 16 people were killed or injured.
"A minivan hit a roadside mine in Sangin district this morning, 16 people have been killed and injured in the blast," Ahmadi said.
"The civilians were travelling from Gereshk to Sangin district when their vehicle hit the mine."
The area where the blast took place is a traditional Taliban stronghold which international forces are battling to secure as part of their nine-year battle against the Islamist militants.
Sangin is one of the bloodiest battlegrounds in the Afghanistan war -- around a third of all British troops killed in the conflict have died there. British troops have since been replaced by US forces.
The region is a centre of the opium trade and also rich in agriculture.
On Monday, three people were killed in Kandahar city, in the neighbouring province, when a car bomb exploded in front of a bank where police were queuing to collect their salaries.
Confirming the latest attack, the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said: "More than 10 Afghan civilians were killed and several others were wounded in an explosion triggered by insurgents in a crowded area of Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province today."
Afghan and NATO forces helped to evacuate the wounded, it added.
The United Nations says 2,412 civilians died in Afghanistan in the first 10 months of 2010 and 3,803 were injured.
The figures represented an increase of 20 percent on the same period last year, it said earlier this month, adding that over three-quarters of these were linked to "anti-government elements".
A total of 709 international troops have died in Afghanistan in 2010, according to the independent iCasualties website, the highest figure since the war began in 2001.
There are around 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan. The nations contributing most to the ISAF force are the United States, with 90,000 troops, and Britain, with around 9,000.
President Barack Obama announced 30,000 extra troops for Afghanistan last year as part of a surge strategy to try to turn around the conflict.
In a review of the strategy published earlier this month, Obama insisted it was on track although he stressed that gains were fragile.
Source - Yahoo.