Roadside bombs kill 9 civilians in Afghanistan

Two roadside bombs have killed at least nine Afghan civilians, officials said today.
Six people were killed in a blast in the southern Helmand province, which has seen heavy fighting between Taliban insurgents and security forces in recent weeks, according to Omer Zwak, the spokesman for the provincial governor. He said five others -- three women and two children -- were wounded in the attack, and that all the victims were from the same family.
Another roadside bomb in the central Ghor province killed two women and a man. The blast late Sunday wounded eight other people, mostly women and children, said Abdul Hai Khatebi, spokesman for the provincial governor.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Taliban insurgents frequently target security forces with homemade bombs placed along roads and footpaths.