Eleven members of an Afghan family, mostly women and children, were killed Friday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while they were travelling for an engagement ceremony in the country's volatile east.

The attack occurred in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province but no militant group has so far claimed responsibility.

"The bomb struck their Toyota sedan when they were going for an engagement ceremony," said Logar Governor Mohammad Halim Fidai.

"The victims included five women and five children."

Provincial authorities blamed the Taliban, who launched their annual "spring offensive" last month, for the killings.

The Taliban were not immediately reachable for comment, but roadside bombs have been the militants' weapon of choice in their war against foreign and Afghan security forces.

The bombs also increasingly kill and wound civilians.

Some 987 child casualties were reported from conflict-related incidents in the first four months of 2017, a record high for the period since the United Nations began documenting such cases.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan voiced alarm when five boys from one family were killed this month by an unexploded mortar round in Laghman province.

"The children were playing outside their home and found the mortar round, likely fired during fighting earlier in the day," said UNAMA chief Tadamichi Yamamoto.

"A family destroyed in seconds -- this horror is just one of too many incidents documented at the onset of this fighting season."</s>A suspected roadside bomb has killed 11 people from the same family on their way to a wedding in the eastern Afghan province of Logar, local officials said.

Five children, five women, and a man were killed when their vehicle hit the explosive device in Logar's Muhammad Agha district on May 19, district Governor Nasir Amin said.

Amin said that all the victims were members of the same family.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but news agencies quoted Logar police chief Esmatullah Alizai as saying the roadside bomb is thought to have been planted by the Taliban.

At least 3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 were wounded across Afghanistan in 2016, a combined rise of 3 percent over the previous year, according to a UN report published in February.

Improvised explosive devices or homemade bombs were among the most common causes of Afghan civilian casualties last year, accounting for 19 percent of all dead and injured, according to the UN.

With reporting by dpa and Reuters</s>Kabul: Eleven members of an Afghan family, mostly women and children, were killed on Friday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while they were travelling for an engagement ceremony in the country`s volatile east.

The attack occurred in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province but no militant group has so far claimed responsibility.

"The bomb struck their Toyota sedan when they were going for an engagement ceremony," said Logar Governor Mohammad Halim Fidai.

"The victims included five women and five children."

Provincial authorities blamed the Taliban, who launched their annual "spring offensive" last month, for the killings.

The Taliban were not immediately reachable for comment, but roadside bombs have been the militants` weapon of choice in their war against foreign and Afghan security forces.

The bombs also increasingly kill and wound civilians.

Some 987 child casualties were reported from conflict-related incidents in the first four months of 2017, a record high for the period since the United Nations began documenting such cases.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan voiced alarm when five boys from one family were killed this month by an unexploded mortar round in Laghman province.

"The children were playing outside their home and found the mortar round, likely fired during fighting earlier in the day," said UNAMA chief Tadamichi Yamamoto.

"A family destroyed in seconds -- this horror is just one of too many incidents documented at the onset of this fighting season."</s>A roadside bombing killed 11 people in eastern Afghanistan today as they were traveling to a wedding in the country's east, a local official said.

The attack came just hours after an Afghan policeman turned his rifle on his colleagues as they slept at an outpost in eastern Nangarhar province last night, killing five.

Those killed by the roadside bomb in Logar province five women, five children and a man were all from the same family, said Salim Salleh, the spokesman for the provincial governor of Logar.

In the last night attack, district governor, Abdul Wahab Momand, said the policeman shot his colleagues at an outpost in the district of Ghanikhil.

After the shooting, the attacker, who was only identified by one name, Nasratullah, seized all the victims' firearms and fled the scene, the governor said.

Neither the Taliban nor the Islamic State group the two militant groups who operate in the area immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar, a mountainous province that borders Pakistan.

There was also no claim of responsibility for the attack in Logar but Salleh, the spokesman, accused the Taliban of planting the roadside bomb.

Afghanistan has the highest number of mine victims in the world, which along with roadside bombs kill or wound an estimated 140 people every month. The Taliban have stepped up their attacks since announcing their spring offensive last month.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, another roadside bomb targeted a US militarily convoy in northern Parwan province today, the international mission's media officer, Doug High, said.

The explosion disabled an armored vehicle but caused no injuries, High said.</s>KABUL:- Eleven members of an Afghan family, mostly women and children, were killed Friday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while they were travelling for an engagement ceremony in the country's volatile east. The attack occurred in the Mohammad Agha district of Laghman province but no militant group has so far claimed responsibility. "The bomb struck their Toyota sedan when they were going for an engagement ceremony," said Logar Governor Mohammad Halim Fidai. "The victims included five women and five children."–AFP

Provincial authorities blamed the Taliban, who launched their annual "spring offensive" last month, for the killings.

The Taliban were not immediately reachable for comment, but roadside bombs have been the militants' weapon of choice in their war against foreign and Afghan security forces.</s>No group has so far claimed responsibility but authorities in Logar province blamed the Taliban for the killings.

Eleven members of an Afghan family were killed on Friday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while they were travelling to an engagement ceremony in the country's volatile east.

Five women, five children and a man in a vehicle were killed and one woman and two men were wounded in the blast in Logar province, just south of the capital of Kabul, said Mohammad Halim Fedayee, the provincial governor.

"The bomb struck their Toyota sedan when they were going for an engagement ceremony," said Fedayee.

No group has so far claimed responsibility but provincial authorities blamed the Taliban, who launched their annual "spring offensive" last month, for the killings.

Roadside bombs have been the Taliban's weapon of choice in their war against foreign and Afghan security forces.

OPINION: What should the US' next move be in Afghanistan?

The first four months of 2017 saw the highest recorded number of child casualties from the conflict in Afghanistan, the United Nations reported on Monday, with at least 283 killed and 704 wounded as of the end of April.

Last year, at least 3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 were wounded, a combined increase of 3 percent over 2015, according to a UN report released in February.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan voiced alarm when five boys from one family were killed earlier this month by an unexploded mortar round in Laghman.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, another roadside bomb targeted a US militarily convoy in northern Parwan province on Friday, the international mission's media officer, Doug High, said.

The explosion disabled an armored vehicle but caused no injuries, High said. After recovering the vehicle, the convoy continued on its mission, he added.

Meanwhile, on Thursday night an Afghan policeman turned his rifle on his colleagues as they slept at an outpost in eastern Nangarhar province, killing five.

In the Thursday night attack, district governor, Abdul Wahab Momand, said the policeman shot his colleagues at an outpost in the district of Ghanikhil.

After the shooting, the attacker, who was only identified by one name, Nasratullah, seized all the victims' firearms and fled the scene, the governor said.

Neither the Taliban nor the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) - the two armed groups who operate in the area - immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar, a mountainous province that borders Pakistan.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A roadside bombing killed 11 people in eastern Afghanistan on Friday as they were traveling to a wedding in the country’s east, a local official said.

Also Friday, five Afghan policemen were killed in fighting with the Taliban in eastern Kapisa province. Earlier, a policeman turned his rifle on his colleagues as they slept at an outpost in eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday night, killing five.

Those killed by the roadside bomb in Logar province — five women, five children and a man — were all from the same family, said Salim Salleh, the spokesman for the provincial governor of Logar.

In Kapisa, the Taliban attacked a police checkpoint early Friday morning, killing five policemen, according to Qais Qaderi, the spokesman for the provincial governor. He said the assault took place in Tagab district, adding that 10 Taliban fighters were also killed, including two commanders.

In the Thursday night attack, district governor, Abdul Wahab Momand, said the policeman shot his colleagues at an outpost in the district of Ghanikhil.

After the shooting, the attacker, who was only identified by one name, Nasratullah, seized all the victims’ firearms and fled the scene, the governor said.

Neither the Taliban nor the Islamic State group — the two militant groups who operate in the area — immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar, a mountainous province that borders Pakistan.

There was also no claim of responsibility for the attack in Logar but Salleh, the spokesman, accused the Taliban of planting the roadside bomb.

Afghanistan has the highest number of mine victims in the world, which along with roadside bombs kill or wound an estimated 140 people every month. The Taliban have stepped up their attacks since announcing their spring offensive last month.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, another roadside bomb targeted a U.S. militarily convoy in northern Parwan province on Friday, the international mission’s media officer, Doug High, said.

The explosion disabled an armored vehicle but caused no injuries, High said. After recovering the vehicle, the convoy continued on its mission, he added.</s>An Afghan National Army soldier keeps watch at a checkpost in Logar province, Afghanistan, in February 2016. A roadside bomb in the eastern province killed 11 people en route to a wedding on Friday.

Start the conversation, or Read more at CBC News.</s>KABUL, May 19 (Reuters) - A suspected roadside bomb killed as many as 11 people from the same family on their way to a wedding in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, an official said.

Five women, five children and a man in a vehicle were killed and one woman and two men were wounded in the blast in Logar province, just south of the capital of Kabul, said Mohammad Halim Fedayee, the provincial governor.

"All were members of one family," he said. "They were going to attend a wedding ceremony."

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the United Nations has criticized insurgent groups like the Taliban for using roadside bombs that often strike civilians.

The first four months of 2017 saw the highest recorded number of child casualties from the conflict in Afghanistan, the United Nations reported on Monday, with at least 283 killed and 704 wounded as of the end of April.

Last year, at least 3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 were wounded, a combined increase of 3 percent over 2015, according to a U.N. report released in February. (Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Nick Macfie)</s>ISLAMABAD — A roadside bomb has killed at least 11 civilians, mostly women and children, in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province.

The victims were returning from a wedding party Friday afternoon when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in the Mohammad Agha district, according to the provincial governor’s office.

There were five women and five children among the dead. There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

The deadly bombing came just days after the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned that the number of child deaths resulting from conflict-related incidents in the country have risen by 21 percent in the first four months of 2017.

The mission recorded 987 child casualties, including 283 deaths, between January 1 and April 30, the highest number of children killed for the same period since UNAMA began documenting Afghan civilian casualties.

Hours earlier on Friday, a roadside bomb hit an American military convoy north of the capital, Kabul, but “no injuries have been reported,” said the U.S. military.

Without sharing more details, a U.S. military spokesman told VOA “the disabled vehicle is being recovered and the convoy will continue and complete its mission.”

Local TOLOnews TV, however, quoted witnesses as saying the blast in Charikar, the capital of Parwan province, caused several casualties, without giving further details.

U.S. military convoys usually undertake missions together with Afghan security forces.

The Taliban instantly took credit for the violence, claiming it left several U.S. soldiers dead, though the insurgent group often issues inflated tolls for such attacks.

Separately, an Afghan policeman has gunned down five colleagues in the eastern Nangarhar province.

The overnight incident of a so-called “insider attack” happened at an outpost in the Ghanikhil district. The shooter fled the scene after collecting firearms of the victims.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility, though assailants often join Taliban ranks after committing the violence.

Nangarhar is where Islamic State militants stormed the provincial headquarters of the state-run Ration Television of Afghanistan, or RTA, earlier this week.

The suicide-bomb-and-gun attack left at least six people dead, including four RTA employees and two security forces, while many more were wounded.

Loyalists of the Syria-based terrorist group operate out of several remote districts in the province, which borders Pakistan.
• Blast Kills 11 Family Members On Way To Wedding In Afghanistan
A roadside bomb kills at least 11 people, all from the same family, in Logar Province.