Mine blast kills five civilians in Afghanistan: govt

Mine blast kills five civilians in Afghanistan: govt

KABUL: Five civilians were killed in one of the deadliest parts of southern Afghanistan when their mini-van drove over a land mine, a provincial government spokesman said Friday.

Helmand provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi said one person was also injured in the blast on Thursday afternoon in the district of Sangin, the deadliest area for US forces in the course of a nearly 10-year war against the Taliban.

"A mini-van struck a Taliban-planted mine and five people were killed and another person was injured," he said, adding: "They were civilians."