A mini van full of civilians struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, triggering a blast that killed six of the people in the vehicle, a local official said on Sunday.
The explosion Saturday afternoon in southern Helmand province also wounded three others riding in the Toyota Townace, the provincial governor's office said in a statement, which added that the dead included women and children.
The blast occurred in Sangin district, where international forces have been taking heavy casualties while battling a strong insurgency.
In the east, meanwhile, NATO said international and Afghan troops killed two insurgents and captured two suspected militants in a raid on a compound in eastern Afghanistan. The troops were searching for a local Taliban leader in eastern Wardak province when they came under fire Saturday in Nerkh district and returned fire, NATO said in a statement on Sunday. The international military coalition did not say if the targeted Taliban leader was among those killed or captured.