Seven die in Afghanistan blast
February 28th, 2012 - 1:32 pm ICT by IANS
Kabul, Feb 28 (IANS) Seven civilians, including three children, were killed in a blast in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, authorities said Tuesday.
“Seven civilians were killed when a powerful blast occurred at around 4 p.m. Monday in a compound in Naw Zad district of Helmand province,” spokesperson for provincial government Daud Ahmadi told Xinhua.
He said four women and three children were killed in the explosion that happened in a house in Sarkhdaz area of the district.
Ahmadi said it was not clear how the explosion happened.
Taliban militants have often attacked Afghan and NATO-led forces with homemade bombs or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.
The number of civilian casualties has been soaring in the militancy-plagued Afghanistan as a total of 3,021 Afghan civilians have been killed in 2011 which indicates, an 8 percent rise in non-combatants’ deaths compared with 2010, according to the United Nations annual report released in Kabul earlier this month.
Notorious for growing poppy, the Helmand province has been experiencing increasing militancy over the past couples of years despite continued military operations launched by Afghan forces and NATO-led troops.
- Two kids killed in Afghan bombing - Apr 12, 2012
- 20 Taliban killed in Afghanistan - Apr 24, 2012
- 3,021 Afghan civilians killed in 2011: UN - Feb 04, 2012
- 19 killed in Afghanistan roadside blast - Dec 07, 2011
- NATO apologizes for airstrike which killed Afghan women, children - May 30, 2011
- Afghan militants kill four on spying charges - Feb 21, 2012
- Four killed, 31 hurt in Afghan car bombing (Lead) - Jan 26, 2012
- 10 policemen die in Afghan car bombing - Jul 31, 2011
- 20 Afghan militants killed - May 28, 2012
- Suicide bombing rocks Afghanistan city - Sep 27, 2011
- 45 Taliban, 2 soldiers, 5 guards killed in Afghanistan - May 15, 2010
- 32 militants killed in Afghanistan - Feb 04, 2010
- Six killed in Afghanistan bomb attack - Jan 04, 2012
- 31 militants killed in Afghanistan - Jul 01, 2010
- 32 militants killed in Afghanistan (Lead, superseding earlier story) - Feb 04, 2010
Tags: annual report, civilian casualties, civilians, combatants, couples, deaths, explosion, explosive devices, four women, helmand province, homemade bombs, kabul, lethal weapons, militancy, military operations, poppy, provincial government, spokesperson, taliban, xinhua